play over and over in our household one day. >> i hear a song. that's what's happening "today in the bay." have a great weekend. good morning. breaking news overnight. $2 billion battle. shelly sterling reaches an agreement to sell the los angeles clippers to former microsoft ceo steve ballmer, but donald sterling is saying not so fast. too little, too late. veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki laying out his pl to fix problems at the v.a. this morning, but with more than 100 lawmakers now demanding his resignation, can he save his job? stepping out. priscilla chan, the wife of facebook founder mark zuckerberg, speaks out in her first television interview. her own success, her passions, and life with one of the most accomplished men on earth. what bothers you the most about a perception people might have about him? as she and her husband announce

a very big donation to a cause close to their hearts this morning. and w-i-n-n-e-r-s? a thrilling finish at the national spelling bee, and the event ends in a rare tie, the first in more than 50 years. the co-champs are celebrating with us today, friday, may 30th, 2014. ♪ life is a highway >> from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. can we take that shot one more time? that is a concert crowd. >> wow. >> so many. >> eat your heart out, austin mahone. that was a big crowd earlier this week, but huge today. >> and there is good reason. this is the most awarded country group in the past decade. they have 14 number one hits, 22 1/2 million albums sold. they have a new album that's

getting critical acclaim and they're going to give us a great concert in a few moments. >> that crowd, it's all ages. they, everybody loves rascal flatts. >> good to have them here. >> we're going to get to our top story first, though. some breaking news out of los angeles. overnight, after weeks of speculation, it's been announced that a deal has finally been reached to sell the clippers. the price tag, hold on to this, it's a whopping $2 billion, and willie's got the latest on all of it. willie, good morning. >> good morning, guys. that staggering sum would be the second richest sale in u.s. sports history and would finally give former microsoft ceo steve ballmer the nba franchise he's always wanted. but right now, this deal is not yet a sure thing. overnight, shelly sterling released a statement saying in part, i am delighted that we are selling the team to steve, who will be a terrific owner. ballmer, the former microsoft ceo, thanked sterling in that same statement, saying, i intend to do everything in my power to ensure the clippers continue to win, and win big, in los

angeles. the announcement comes after a grueling process. donald sterling's infamous conversation with v. stiviano, a public relations nightmare for both the sterlings and for the nba, now ended by a massive $2 billion bid. ballmer, who previously tried to buy the sacramento kings, agreed to pay about four times more than the previous record for an nba franchise. magic johnson weighed in online, tweeting, clipper fans, you'll love steve ballmer as your owner! but donald sterling's attorney tells nbc news that talk is premature. donald sterling is not selling the clippers. donald sterling has not agreed to sell the clippers at any price. on tuesday, nba owners are expected to vote to take that choice out of donald sterling's hands. >> with all the twists and turns so far, the nba would be wise to keep the pressure on. the only thing predictable about the sterlings is the lack of predictability. >> all of this comes in the run-up to the nba owners vote next week, where three quarters of donald sterling's fellow

owners can decide to force him to sell the team he's owned for 33 years. guys, as we said in the piece, donald sterling's attorneys are already pushing back in this thing. not so fast. we're not ready to sell this team. and again, the price, $2 billion is astronomical. >> it was 1 to 1.2 billion, and all of a sudden two. >> they're a sexy team in a huge market, they have a tv deal coming up, but still that's a huge number. >> and they are sexy. >> just like you, al, with that jacket today. >> you guys can talk about that later. willie, thank you so much. calls are growing even louder this morning for v.a. secretary eric shinseki to step down, but now he's fighting back, vowing swift action to correct problems at his agency's facilities nationwide. nbc's national correspondent peter alexander is at the white house. peter, good morning. >> reporter: carson, good morning to you. minutes from now, president obama will meet with secretary eric shinseki. a senior administration official tells nbc news that eric

shinseki is on thin ice. within the last hour, shinseki talked about the systematic problems in the v.a. that were unacceptable. met by a standing ovation, eric shinseki apologized, but did not resign. >> i apologize to the people i care deeply about. the veterans, to their families. >> reporter: shinseki announced he was firing the management at the arizona facility and states he was misled about the bredth of the problems. >> it must be fixed. >> reporter: more than 100 members of congress have called for shinseki to go.

all of them facing tough elections campaigns this fall. colorado's mark udall, secretary shinseki must step down. from louisiana's mary landrieu, new leadership is needed. still the top house leaders are reserving judgment. >> the real issue here is that the president is the one who should be held accountable. >> it's easy to call for somebody at the top to go. is it a solution? is it an answer? >> reporter: with the inspector general's investigation expanding to include 42 v.a. sites and nine staffers at four different medical centers now placed on administrative leave, shinseki met behind close doors thursday with representatives from military and veterans groups and seemed to win some support from the american legion. >> the v.a. is taking these issues very serious. shinseki said he was honored to be in the meeting for justice. meeting is expected to be held

in the oval office any minute. savannah. >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. use, thank you. let's turn to chuck todd, nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> in some ways, this is classic washington, to call for the head of the person at the top. at first it seemed the white house and people at the hill were almost circling the wagons around shinseki, but boy has that support dropped. >> it's completely dropped. it's not a matter of the if, but when. part of the political calculation for the white house is they've got to do this sooner rather than later. they've got to relieve the pressure off of senate democrats. remember, the president is the leader of his own party and this is starting to have an impact politically in these tough re-election fights. there's also a timing issue. the president leaves for europe next week. there's a big d-day remembrance at the end of the week. you would assume if he's going to make a change, he's got to do it sooner so he doesn't go through another big day. that's important to a lot of veterans, with this hanging over his head and his administration's head.

>> on another topic, politico has a big scoop this morning. it has obtained the chapter on benghazi from hillary clinton's new book. let me read you a couple of quotes. the first one, she says, i will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead americans. it's just plain wrong and it's unworthy of our great country. those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me. then she goes on to say of her critics, chuck, many of these same people are a broken record about unanswered questions, but there's a difference between unanswered questions and unlistened to answers. if there was any doubt hillary clinton's clearly ready to go on the offense on this. >> there's no doubt at all. in fact, there's a concerted campaign effort. i know of hillary clinton advisers have been meeting with democratic strategists around town here in washington to go back and forth, let them know what's in this benghazi chapter. now, of course, the public knows. but look at her strategy and the rollout of the book. she's sitting down with fox news, which has been one of the news organizations that's been writing this benghazi story more than anybody because they want to get this out of the way now, savannah. they don't want benghazi hanging

over her head and these questions and the investigations during when the campaign actually begins. >> all right, chuck todd with a lot of headlines out of washington this morning, thank you. natalie's here with new fallout to brian williams's exclusive interview with edward snowden. >> the question we're investigating, did snowden try to raise concerns before going public with the stolen documents? nbc's andrea mitchell has the very latest. andrea, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. edward snowden told brian williams that he considers himself a patriot, but central to that claim is his assertion that he tried to blow the whistle with his bosses before blowing the top off of u.s. intelligence secrets. snowden told brian there was a paper trail, e-mails proving he had complained to his bosses about alleged nsa abuses before going rogue. >> i had raised these complaints not just officially, in writing, through e-mail, to these offices and these individuals, but to my supervisors, to my colleagues, in more than one office. >> reporter: a snowden legal adviser backs him up. >> he has challenged the nsa.

i mean, they have copies of all of this. >> what did you report? what was the response? >> the response, more or less, in bureaucratic language, was you should stop asking questions. >> reporter: but for weeks, the nsa refused to release anything. finally, under pressure from the senate intelligence committee, on thursday, the nsa made public a single e-mail snowden sent an nsa lawyer last year. just weeks before he fled with a trove of classified documents. in the e-mail, snowden asked for clarification on a technical legal issue. the nsa lawyer answers his question, then adds, please give us a call if you would like to discuss further. but the nsa notes there was no additional follow-up. and the nsa said snowden did not raise allegations or concerns about wrongdoing or abuse. the agency said it had searched for additional indications of outreach from him, but so far not found any. >> no reasonable person could look at that single e-mail and say that's whistleblowing. the only thing snowden is

blowing is smoke. >> but that was a single e-mail, and in an e-mail to "the washington post" thursday night, snowden fired back, writing that the nsa's account is incomplete. he wrote that if the white house is really interested in the whole truth, rather than the nsa's clearly tailored and incomplete leak for political advantage, his words, it will require the nsa to check with his former colleagues and compliance officers, so the rhetorical battle between snowden and the nsa continues. natalie? >> this is going to go on for a while. >> it certainly is. >> andrea mitchell in washington, thank you. the number of measles cases in the united states has reached a 20-year high. according to the centers for disease control and prevention, 307 cases have been reported since new year's day. about half of them just in the past month. that is more illnesses than in any entire year since 1996. most of the cases are from a huge outbreak in unvaccinated amish communities in ohio. for the first time, tanning beds will now carry black box

warnings stating they shouldn't be used by anyone under age 18. the food and drug administration is requiring tanning bed manufacturers to warn clients of the increased risk for skin cancer linked to the machines. the warning will be on the machine itself and on websites that promote indoor tanning. the fda is also requiring manufacturers to add timers to tanning beds and limit the amount of radiation they can emit. a commercial pilot accused of smuggling cocaine through houston's airport was less than thrilled to see news cameras outside the courthouse on thursday. take a look at stanley rafael hill charged at a photographer and then ran away. the 49-year-old is accused of smuggling 62 bags of cocaine in his stomach on a united flight. >> oh! >> yeah, that's going to hurt. from bogota to colombia. according to report, one of the bags actually burst in his stomach after the plane landed. >> have mercy, natalie. >> sorry about that. sorry, guys. here's one you're going to love.

two rock 'n' roll legends came together on stage thursday night, as if a rolling stones concert wasn't big enough, mick jagger and the boys were joined by the boss. yes, bruce springsteen for one song on stage. it happened at the rock 'n' roll festival in lisbon, portugal. 80,000 screaming fans were treated to the performance. of "tumbling dice." the only thing that could make that better is if we had the audio for it. >> come on, portugal, where is your iphone video? >> or if mick and bruce join rascal flatts today. >> yeah. that would be amazing. >> mr. roker. how's it going? love your purple, by the way. >> well, thank you very much. our friends down in the gulf have been getting dumped on. some areas in louisiana, 9 inches of rain in the last three days. and this moisture just continues to wrap around this upper level low. in fact, it's going to be making its way to the east. orlando today starts off sunny, but then storms develop by the

afternoon. some of these are going to be heavy by later in the day. and in fact, we've got flood watches stretching from panama city, the panhandle of florida. we're looking at flood watches there. we're also expecting flood watches as you make your way into louisiana. new orleans, parts of gulfport, kenner and into new orleans until 7:00. look at the rainfall amounts. upwards of 3 to 5 inches, and then you get into the gulf, the western gulf. some areas picking up another 7 inches of rain in the next 24 hours. now we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

nbc bay area microclimate forecast is sponsored by yakult probiotic drink. >> taking a live look here san francisco mostly cloudy is to start. clouds clinging to the coastline for most of the day. nice, sunny conditions inland and temperatures about ten degrees cooler than where we ended up yesterday. mid up toer 70s for us here in the south bay and today overcast sky developing and 73 from the peninsula and 79 degrees out in the tri-valley today. >> all right, al, thank you so much. there is a new wrinkle this morning in the heated debate over guns in america. a new range is set to open soon in oklahoma city, and what the owners there are planning has even strong supporters of gun rights asking if it makes sense. here's nbc's kerry sanders with the story. >> reporter: a shot followed by a shot. >> it's generally a horrible idea. you really don't want to mix alcohol with a firearm.

>> i don't see any problem with it. providing that people drink after the fact, not before the fact. >> reporter: in oklahoma city this week, the city council signed off on a liquor license for a new $6 million gun range which will include a restaurant that serves alcohol. jeff swanson is co-owner of the new facility. he says there will be no mixing of drinks and guns. >> you cannot drink before shooting, you cannot drink while shooting, and you cannot drink while you have a firearm on you. >> reporter: swanson says they'll used an advanced electronic system to make sure once a patron has had a drink, they'll be cut off from the gun range. there are others in texas and florida where gun ranges and gun clubs also have liquor licenses, but because alcohol can often be a trigger to problems, most gun ranges nationwide have a strict no-alcohol on the premises policy. even if it's to drink after shooting. for some, no matter how much

separation there is between the bullet and the booze, it just doesn't make sense. on twitter, angry drunks at a shooting range, what could go wrong? and, dear oklahoma, this is a bad, bad idea. but swanson says people will come around. >> once people understand the safety protocols that we have in place, then right after that, people kind of have an ah-ha moment and typically realize that this is going to be as safe as any retail establishment in the country. >> reporter: the gun range is scheduled to open this summer pending oklahoma state approval. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, miami. >> okay. >> i don't know. >> it was very lopsided when we asked in the orange room. >> it seems on paper like a terrible idea, but people are really into it. >> and most people supported the idea. >> namely blake shelton. now to chicago and some high anxiety at one of the tallest buildings in the world. engineers hope to reopen the willis tower's glass box ledges after a scare that a group of cousins will never forget.

nbc's katy tur has their story. >> reporter: look up. way up. at 103 stories high looking down, even for repairmen might be a little scary. but for a group of tourists wednesday night, it was downright horrifying. >> my mind was like, wow, i can't believe i could have just literally fell all the way through it. >> reporter: antonio saldana and his family were sitting all the way up, on the ledge, as it's called, when suddenly the one and a half inches of glass between them and certain doom seemed to crack. the ledge, part of the willis tower's sky deck, four glass boxes that jut out four feet from the skyscraper, allowing thrill-seeking sightseers to virtually hang in mid air 1,300 feet above the ground. our own kevin tibbles was one of the first to test it out. >> oh! >> reporter: willis towers says

the crack were only in the protective coating and did not affect the structural integrity. >> the top piece is designed so anybody with high heels doesn't have to take them off. >> reporter: still, nervous tourists had their doubts. >> no way? >> no, probably not. >> reporter: as for the rest of you, the tower says the ledge should be ready once again later this morning. katy tur, nbc news, chicago. >> wow. >> a real scare for those guys. >> you think people will be lining up to be on that ledge after it cracks? >> just hearing the crack would be enough. >> tamron here, another epic hash tag fail. tell us about this. >> yeah, it's pretty bad. we know there's been a long standing debate over the washington redskins and whether or not they should get rid of the team name. civil rights leaders have spoken out. even the president was asked if he owned the team, would he ditch the team name? he said he would at least think about it. thursday, the team decided they would look for a little love, because last week, about 50 senators signed a letter that

was sent to roger goodell, the nfl commissioner saying get rid of the name. while the washington redskins went up with this tweet. tweet @senatorreid to show your #redskinspride and tell him what the team means to you. senator reid has been the most vocal critic in the senate regarding this. so, as "the washington post" points out, initially it was even. people were going back and forth. then it went really for bad. bart johnson is an example. he says hey, redskins and harry reid, to me, redskins pride is about normalizing overt racism in the 21st century. did i do this right? bd said redskins pride because keeping the t-shirt in my closet accurate is much more important than whole races of people. regan fitzgerald said i've been a redskins fan my entire life but i don't think anyone would hold it against me if i switched right now. so in the beginning, pretty evenly divided. toward the end, this is just some of the ones i could show you on air.

the nypd department tried the same thing when they said basically show us your love and people showed everything other than that. not good. >> tamron, thank you. coming up, have you found an envelope yet? there are more mystery donors joining that hidden cash craze that started out west. and can you spell tie? co-champs are crowned at the national spelling bee for the first time in more than 50 years. we're going to meet them both. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

gridlock. teacher layoffs. and a 60 billion dollar budget deficit. that's what john perez faced when he became speaker of the california assembly. so he partnered with governor brown to pass three balanced budgets, on time. for the first time in thirty years. today, the deficits are gone and we've invested an additional 2 billion dollars in education. now john perez is running for controller, to keep fighting for balanced budgets. democrat john perez for controller.

coming up, why is senator john mccain's wife calling gwyneth paltrow a joke? why gwyneth paltrow said to set off cindy mccain. plus, a live concert on two medium cappuccinos! let's show 'em what a breakfast with whole grain fiber can do. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip,

two espressos. make one a double. she's full and focused. [ barista ] i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos -- one with a double shot. heh, heh. that's not the coffee talkin'. [ female announcer ] start your day with kellogg's frosted mini wheats cereal. with whole wheat goodness on one side and a hint of sweetness on the other, it's a delicious way to get the nutrition you want. it's a delicious way really... so our business can be on at&t's network for $175 dollars a month? yup. all five of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. low dues... great terms... let's close. introducing at&t mobile share value plans... ...with our best-ever pricing for business. i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy.

mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served.

a very good morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. surveillance video revealing more information about an attack at an oakland high school. a school security officer found a wheelchair-bound freshman in the hall late for class. when he started wheeling the student to class the student resisted. the officer handcuffed the student and hit him several times before eventually dumping him on the floor. the officer was arrested and charged with child abuse. the principal sent out a letter to parents and staff explaining the incident and apologizing. mark zuckerberg and his wife have pledged $120 million to help bay area schools in low-income neighborhoods. the money will help start new public and charter schools, as well as pay for equipment, training and programs at

existing schools. the first $5 million will cover technology upgrades and improving internet access at schools in the ravenswood, redwood city and san francisco district. such a great thing. want to check the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning, laura and everybody at home. overcast sky to start the day means temperatures much cooler. only mid to upper 70s in the warm spots across the bay area and 676 for sh south bay and 76 in san francisco. now, let me show you where we eare headed because temperatures will climb as we get into next week. your beach day sunday, monday and tuesday and by thursday, mike, of next week the return of the triple-digit heat. we'll keep you updated and over to you. >> i'm not excited about that. good friday commute and take that right now. looking at the roadways smooth and maps no major issues as far as surprises and mckie off ramp looks like a car went off that

off ramp and now waiting for a tow truck to arrive. so far everything is open and we'll track that. slowing southbound 880 out soef san leandro and no major problems there and typical pattern around your bay and san rafael and a little blip approaching the curve and a stall of some sort that cleared up over the last few minutes and now a smooth drive down towards lincoln avenue. back to you. >> thank you, mike. another local news update coming up in half an hour. have a great friday morning.

♪ ♪ it's 7:30 on a friday morning, the 30th of may, 2014. there's a good reason we have all those folks packed on our plaza. rascal flatts, i'm glad you asked, al. country music's biggest fans here for a live concert. they have a new record to talk about, and don't forget, you can share your excitement online, use #rascalflattstoday. let's take a look at what is making headlines today. the wife of embattled l.a. clippers owner donald sterling has reached an agreement to sell the team to former microsoft ceo steve ballmer for $2 billion. but an attorney for donald sterling tells nbc news he's not agreed to any deal at any price.

this morning, veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki is laying out his plan to fix the problems at the v.a. medical facilities nationwide, but in washington, calls for his resignation are growing louder this morning. more than 100 members of congress are now demanding that shinseki step down. and in her upcoming book, former secretary of state hillary clinton stands by her account of the benghazi attack in excerpts released by politico. clinton says she will not be part of a political slugfest, and that "there's a difference between unanswered questions and unlistened to answers." and coming up, a war of words. what gwyneth paltrow compared online insults to that has senator john mccain's wife calling the oscar winner a joke. and we have the first ever television interview with mark zuckerberg's wife priscilla chan. one thing we talked about this week is the perception that people have about her husband. >> i think it's a shame when people don't see the funny, thoughtful mark that i know. he is incredibly sensitive.

and really cares about what other people need and want and really wants to be able to make someone else's day. that's the mark that i see. >> the big news this morning is, of course, that priscilla chan and mark zuckerberg have announced a $120 million donation to bay area public schools. we'll talk to her about that and a lot more in just a few minutes. but let's begin this half-hour with a new twist tied to the hunt for hidden cash that's become a sensation online. this morning, a growing number of copycats are popping up across the country. nbc's miguel almaguer is in los angeles with more. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: carson, good morning. from california landmarks to strip malls, this is where the last series of cash donations was found. the anonymous donor behind @hiddencash says he wanted to inspire others to give and this morning, that's exactly what seems to be happening. another money drop, a swarm of people, a big winner. this time in los angeles.

>> gosh, i'm just so excited and so happy. >> reporter: the scavenger hunt that's gone viral began a week ago today. using twitter, the mystery donor behind @hiddencash leaves behind clues to his next money drop, and just like his number of followers wanting in, those creating their own version of the give game are exploding. >> this has just been so addictive, i think i'm going to run out of cash. >> reporter: this group of colleagues, who also wants to keep their identities a secret, are stuffing envelopes of cash and leaving them scattered across boulder, colorado. >> anyone can do it. there's no reason why they can't. you don't have to be a billionaire to spread a little love. >> reporter: as the original @hiddencash moves south from san francisco, the cash phenomenon spread, too. >> thank you, hidden cash! >> reporter: now from los angeles to london, from the windy city to the sunshine

state, even from holland to hong kong and well beyond. >> so inside was 100 bucks. >> reporter: the gift of giving is spreading to cities and strangers worldwide. >> if he's made a copycat, that's a good thing, right? >> reporter: from the beginning, the goal of @hiddencash was to inspire others to give. today it seems many are doing just that, literally paying it forward. with new @hiddencash handles popping up every day, it's tough to know exactly how many there are. and while the original @hiddencash handle seems to be still here in los angeles giving out the largest sums of money, it seems everyone who finds an envelope is pretty happy. guys, back to you. >> miguel almaguer, thank you so much. >> like to see a good idea. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by the new windows. one experience for everything in your life.

>> one of the things in your life may be pollen, because a lot of folks complaining about the pollen these days, especially here in the northeast. you can see it's medium to medium high. pockets of southern california as well. so a lot of sniffling this weekend. we're also looking at wet weather through the gulf coast this weekend, saturday on up through the plains. into the western plains, sunny and warm out west, and then sunday, sunday! look for another gorgeous day here in the northeast, temperatures much more mild. wet weather in the central florida area. all the way on up into the great lakes. the plains as well. an expanded area of risky weather from northern texas all the way into south dakota. sunny and hot out west. sunny and hot out west except for us here in the bay area. really nice this weekend. that natural coolant coming off the pacific this morning and that means you probably won't need the ac even in the inland valleys really nice out there today. you can see the low clouds and

that natural coolant and definitely in full effect and same overcast sky across the board and even some drizzle this morning out in the north bay. 76 in the south bay and as you get into the weekend, temperatures warm up just a touch and big warming on the way for next week. weather. gwyneth paltrow is making headlines for something she said at a tech conference and it's creating quite the reaction. >> yet again, it is, savannah. paltrow was talking about online bullying, and another well-known woman did not like what the oscar winner had to say. actress gwyneth paltrow is at the center of another controversy created by her own words. this time, at a tech conference, where a print journalist asked paltrow what it's like to read negative comments about herself online. paltrow responded, it's a very dehumanizing thing. it's almost like how in war, you go through this bloody, dehumanizing thing, and then something is defined out of it.

cindy mccain took to twitter to put the actress in her place. gwyneth paltrow is a joke. her life is like taking bullets for a soldier. what a joke! my 2 sons serving in the military should talk to her. >> i can't think of anyone else who fascinates in quite the same way that gwyneth paltrow does. she's one of those performers, one day you love her, the next day you just hate her. >> ironically in a surprise appearance at the same conference, paltrow spoke about the dangers of living in the internet age. >> yes, it does worry me for the development of my kids and the next generation that people can be so cruel and without experiencing the consequences of being that cruel face to face. >> she even made light of celebrities bearing the brunt of that online cruelty. >> we've always gotten stones thrown at us. you know, for good reason. we're annoying. >> paltrow recently came under fire with the announcement that she and her husband of ten years, coldplay front man chris martin, were separating,

declaring their conscious uncoupling to the world. she also sparked outrage with working moms talking about the rigors of being an actress and a mother, telling e news, i think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course, there are challenges, but it's not like being on set. paltrow claims her words were taken out of context. >> when someone is repeatedly putting her beautiful foot in her flawless mouth, it gets a little tiring for people to watch. >> wow. >> we reached out to gwyneth paltrow's camp for a comment, but they did not hear back. but i think that says it all, that last clip. her beautiful foot in her flawless mouth, that's how some of these people online feel about her. i don't know. tough. >> some people love to hate her. >> i want to hear what she has to say, so we'll see if she talks. coming up on "trending," a wonderful selfie. "the wonder years" reunion 20 years in the making. up next, the national spelling bee saw not one, but two winners crowned. we're going to talk to the champs right after this. winners

honestly, the off-season isn't really off for me. i've got a lot to do.inners that's why i got my surface. it's great for watching game film and drawing up plays. it's got onenote, so i can stay on top of my to-do list, which has been absolutely absurd since the big game. with skype, it's just really easy to stay in touch with the kids i work with. alright, russell you are good to go! alright, fellas. alright, russ. back to work! to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap.

♪ a maytag washer can't entrust wthem to just anyone. toss these in some run-of-the-mill dryer? might as well use a leaf blower with a lint trap. no, a load like this deserves the best. from start to finish. that's why a maytag washer with the best cleaning in the industry only trusts... a dependable, hard workin' maytag dryer. sup. maytag. what's inside matters. and the stuff that they eat really isn't that great for them. but schools just don't have extra money hanging around you know. so we do need help from sources like target. i'm justin halbert. i'm a culinary arts teacher here at madison high school. you'll have a tomatillo salsa as well. you're going to roast that under the broiler. if it wasn't for target, we wouldn't have the beauty of the garden today.

behaves like the surface of your skin. now watch what soap does to it. ♪ soap strips your skin. dove is different. with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove doesn't strip your skin like soap. so do tire swings! this is our ocean spray cran-lemonade. it's good, old-fashioned lemonade. only better! whoa! [ splash! ] ocean spray cran-lemonade. a bold twist on an old favorite.

we're back now at 7:43 with last night's nail-biting ending to the 87th scripps national spelling bee. the finalists so good, we have two winners. we're going to talk to them in a moment. but first, here's nbc's kristen welker. >> f-e-u-i-l-l-e-t-o-n? >> correct. >> reporter: and with that, 13-year-old ansun sujoe and 14-year-old sriram hathwar claimed a rare dual victory at the nation's largest spelling bee. the face-off ended in a tie, after judges exhausted the word list. the last time there were co-champions, 1962. now, these present day winners are making their own history. >> it's a dream come true.

>> i was pretty happy when i made the finals and now i'm even happier that i'm a co-champion. >> reporter: to get here, these whiz kids beat out hundreds of worthy competitors and ten other finalists, each bringing years of preparation and determination. agoraphobia, francophone, melismatic. just a few of the words this year's contestants had to spell to get to the final round. can you spell s-m-a-r-t? just making it into the finals felt like winning for 15-year-old jacob williamson. who captured everyone's heart, even in defeat. >> c-a-b-a-r-a-g-o-y-a. kabaragoya. what? >> reporter: but in the end, the night belonged to these two teens. >> you each get your own share of $30,000. >> a victory too big to quantify and beyond words. for "today," kristen welker, nbc

news, washington. >> did you see any of that last night? >> it's amazing that it's on espn. >> i know. i was switching back and forth between the rangers game and that. they were both nail-biting. so impressive to watch these young kids figure out how to spell those words. >> incredible. >> tamron is with the champs right now in the orange room. >> it's on espn because your brain is a muscle and this is a sport. look who's with us. good morning, co-champions. how are you? >> we're doing great, good morning to you. >> still stunned by the victory. ansun, when you found out it came down to one word that you needed to spell correctly, were you nervous? what were you thinking? >> well, i was kind of comforted about the word. so i was pretty happy that i got an easy word. >> oh. >> i was pretty happy. >> that's an easy word for you. don't tell that to my co-anchors over there.

it's an easy word for you guys. sriram, let me ask you, i think you came in third place last year. >> yes. >> what did you do differently this time around? >> well, this year, i guess i really focused more on the vocabulary side of it. i had always studied the definitions along with the spelling of the word because they go hand in hand. >> okay. >> but this time, i made flash cards really to learn definitions more and i guess i went through the dictionary a bit more, too. >> ansun, you both get $30,000. what are you going to do with the money? >> i'm going to spend it on mostly college fund or maybe like traveling. especially to india or something. >> very nice. okay, guys. hold up your hand. give me a high five. we're going to do a virtual high five. hold up your hand like a high five. to me. there you go. pow, pow. it worked in my mind. all right, guys. congratulations. hugs via the media. >> you don't give up.

you just keep going for it. >> thank you, tamron. coming up on "trending," the one thing one nba player gives to lebron james during the game. that launched an internet craze. but first, these messages. [ female announcer ] who are we? we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners.

and we're here to help start yours. where you can explore super destinations and do everything under the sun. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. with i shop when i want, app, and earn bonus points where i want. i know the shoes my kids will love, 'cause i keep up with the hottest trends.

and i can redeem rewards anytime. yep, this summer we're spending less time shopping for it... and more time owning it. shop in-store, online or on your phone with the famously easy famous footwear app. victory is yours. cozy or cool? "meow" or "woof"? exactly the way you want it ... until boom, it's bedtime! your mattress is a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the sleep number bed, designed to let couples sleep together in individualized comfort.

he's the softy. his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock, at 60. and snoring? sleep number's even got an adjustment for that. you can only find sleep number at a sleep number store. and right now all beds are on sale starting at just $649.99. hurry in, sale ends sunday! know better sleep with sleep number.

coming up, his actions were plus, a "today" exclusive. priscilla chan, wife of facebook founder mark zuckerberg speaks out in her very first television interview. we'll have more on that. and a live concert from country super group rascal flatts, already outside signing people's posters. great guys. can't wait to hear them sing. we'll have that after your local news and weather. flrs passion...

became your business. at&t can help simplify how you manage it. so you can focus on what you love most. when everyone and everything works together, business just sings. i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy. mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month.

with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served. a.m. crunchwraps over here. cinnabon delights over there! looks like a morning rave is about to go down. next thing you know they'll be twerking with their waffle tacos hanging out. we survived disco, now this. oh, yeah, that is definitely a rave... what's a rave? what's a twerk? [ male announcer ] the next generation of breakfast is here. the waffle taco, a.m. crunchwrap, and cinnabon delights, part of the all-new breakfast menu at taco bell. and cinnabon delights, over 150 years of swedish coffee experience.xists that's 150 years of experience in refining and perfecting the rich, never bitter taste of gevalia. and we do it all for this very experience. this very second. this exact moment. [woman] that's good. i know right?

cheers to that. gevalia. 150 years of rich, never bitter coffee. they'll wanna eat it rightgonna away.od and country crock makes sure your mashed potatoes will be creamy and delicious every time. it stirs in easily, to give mashed potatoes that rich buttery flavor and smooth, creamy texture. no wonder your family loves it. welcome to crock country. where good habits are delicious. but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. can your makeup remover do that? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover. (thunder rumbling) (thunderclap) (bellowing fire)

(steaming and chugging) (thunderclap) (cheering) (rollercoaster rumbling) the world you've been waiting for is here. the wizarding world of harry potter, featuring the all new diagon alley and the hogwarts express. (thunderclap) come and live it. universal orlando resort.

well, good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. school leaders will meet with parents today to talk about why their kids will have to retake the ap exam. high school junior morgan among the 400 students who will have to retake the retake the ap biology test next week. the california college board found irregularities in two rooms during a testing session last month. desks apparently not far enough apart. parents will rally meanwhile outside the high school in oakland this morning. they're showing support for teachers who may not return next year. at least five tich teachers have quit in a morality clause they were ordered to sipe. let's check in with christina and the weekend weather. >> good morning, happy friday, scott. temperatures in the 50s right now and couple 40s out there in

the north bay and starting to warm you up and an hour and a half now taking a live look here foggy breeze and cloudy start in san francisco and overcast sky and meanwhile here in the south bay, our natural ac and keep our temperatures down today in the 70s. 76 degrees in the south bay and down to the mid-80s yesterday and 63 in san francisco and 79 degrees out in the tri-valley. here is mike and your drive. >> all right, christina, looking out here. there's haze kind of a weird situation and sort it out and kind of weird situation and does slow a little bit through high street and that's your typical friday build and look at the maps and not a lot of drama here past the coliseum and two events tonight and coliseum and 0.co and mild build for 580 and the rest of your approaches towards the bay bridge plaza. and northbound route through the southbound but no real surprises, back to you. another local news update coming to you in half an hour. latte or au lait? cozy or cool?

"meow" or "woof"? exactly the way you want it... until boom, it's bedtime! your mattress is a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the sleep number bed, designed to let couples sleep together in individualized comfort. he's the softy. his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock, at 60. and snoring? sleep number's even got an adjustment for that. you can only find sleep number at a sleep number store. and right now all beds are on sale, starting at just $649.99. hurry in, sale ends sunday!

know better sleep with sleep number. it's 8:00 on "today." it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, in her first television interview ever, mark zuckerberg's wife priscilla chan opens up about philanthropy, facebook, and family. >> i have to tell you, i asked mark, are you planning to have kids? and he said, have you been talking to my mother? >> yes, we would love to have kids, but we're so busy taking care of other people's children right now. plus, carson and the kids. >> look at this. voila. >> carson shines a light on the issue of childhood obesity, as we help plant the seeds of change one school at a time. and we're flat-out excited to welcome country superstars rascal flatts to our plaza for a live concert today, friday, may

30th, 2014. >> louisiana loves rascal flatts! >> all the way from mississippi to see rascal flatts. ♪ >> good morning, st. louis! >> good morning, iowa! >> nebraska girls have more fun! >> good morning, everyone. welcome back to "today." what a crowd we have on our plaza for rascal flatts. we are standing on the very stage they will be standing on in just a few minutes. we have a great crowd here. >> it is a great crowd. we love it. and i also want to mention for you at home, maternity musings, that's savannah's blog. it's how i fall asleep at night. it doesn't put me to sleep.

it's just good nighttime reading. you have a new one people should read about the vivid dreams you've been having. >> oh yeah, my brain has become a crazy and disturbing place. >> what kind of dreams? >> for one, i dreamed that my husband was the one who was pregnant. >> that's a nightmare. >> it was truly shocking. >> he would be a beautiful pregnant dad. he really would. >> he was like, i don't know how we should interpret that. >> is that common with pregnancy? >> a lot of the people have responded and said oh, when i was pregnant, i had these crazy dreams. yeah. who knows? hormones, i guess. >> hunger pangs make you dream all sorts of crazy things. >> exactly. let's get the top stories of the morning and natalie is at the news desk. >> good morning to you all once again, and good morning, everyone. the battle for control of the los angeles clippers has intensified this morning. shelly sterling, the wife of current owner donald sterling says she has agreed to sell the team to former microsoft ceo steve ballmer for $2 billion. that is a record for an nba franchise. however, an attorney for donald

sterling, who was banned from the league for racial comments, says his client has not agreed to sell the team. nba owners are expected to vote next week to take the matter out of donald sterling's hands. the white house says veterans affairs chief eric shinseki is meeting at the white house. updating on long treatment delays and conduct at va hospitals. shinseki spoke at a homeless conference today and he apologized. the florida dad who shoved his 6-year-old stepson down a skate board ramp will not face criminal charges. prosecutors say there was not enough evidence that a crime was committed and that the push was not done in rage. the father said he was trying to help the boy overcome his fear, but regretted his actions. he also said the viral video got

him fired from his job. a disturbing crime was caught on camera in northern ohio. a man is seen lifting a toddler over his head so the child can pull out the wires connected to a security camera. after cutting the wires, the man allegedly ransacked the storage room and got away apparently, unaware that another camera was capturing his every move. los angeles firefighters worked all night to put out a five alerm inferno at a paper card board recycling plant. the fire was so intense, nearby train tracks had to be shut down. the plant was a total loss. emotions and flags were flying high when more than 300 members of rotary international climbed the bridge in australia and unfurled their national flag. they broke records for the most climbers and flags flown on the landmark. this is for a great cause to fight polio worldwide.

incredible picture there as well. 8:05. turn around and get a check of the weather from mr. roker. hey, al. >> i can't get out! let me out of here. you guys got your signs autographed, huh? >> we got a picture of them, too. >> where are you guys from? >> new jersey. >> big one. >> love that. all right. let's check out your weather. see what's happening. we've got a gorgeous day through the great lakes. cleveland, ohio. hello, cleveland. you've got sunny skies, temperatures getting up into the low 70s today. rest of the country, afternoon temperatures, it's going to get toasty as you get into the southwest. look at that, 90s and 100s into the southwest. southern texas in the 90s as well. yuma, arizona. catch the 310 to yuma. 107. palm springs, 105. vegas, 100. a lot of wet weather through the gulf coast and the southeast.

wow. you heard palm springs, 105. bay area, we are the envy of the absolute nation today. we're going to climb out of the 50s, where we are right now, into the 70s and that's it. and the reason why is because we're getting this onshore flow, those low clouds move in in the morning. they clear out by afternoon, but we keep that ocean breeze going, all evening long, and temperatures today will reflect that. 76 degrees in the south bay, about 10 degrees cooler than where we ended up yesterday. this weekend, we're going to climb, but just a touch, both saturday and sunday. >> hey, let's get a shot of the folks behind the stage. they don't get a lot of love back there. they get to see the drummer's butt. >> well, that's not bad. >> they drove a long way to see that behind. >> no problem. >> al, thank you so much. coming up next on "trending," kevin and winnie together again? the cast of "the wonder years" reunited 20 years later. and then it's my time to shine a light on a very important cause while getting my hands dirty in the process. i'm excited to show you guys

this coming up. plus, country supergroup rascal flatts live in concert! but first, these messages. ♪all day and all of the night - the kinks♪ yoplait. with a smooth and creamy taste your whole family loves. it is so good all the time. nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list

is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. visit angieslist.com today. ♪ [ female announcer ] aveeno® introduces new positively radiant targeted tone corrector. it helps reduce the look of stubborn brown spots in just two weeks. what are you waiting for? aveeno®. naturally beautiful results™. aveeno®. (meowright on cue. it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with wholesome ingredients and

irresistible taste, it's the only one cats ask for by name. let's show 'em what a breakfast with whole grain fiber can do. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip, two espressos. make one a double. she's full and focused. [ barista ] i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos -- one with a double shot. heh, heh. that's not the coffee talkin'. [ female announcer ] start your day with kellogg's frosted mini wheats cereal. with whole wheat goodness on one side and a hint of sweetness on the other, it's a delicious way to get the nutrition you want. we're back at 8:09, and it is time for what's trending today. new controversy this morning at a sacred site. the newly opened 9/11 museum. it has one praise for its beautiful and moving tribute to the terror attack victims. but as you know, the museum's gift shop has also been a target

of criticism. some saying the items for sale are in poor taste. now a lot of people are focusing on this ceramic cheese platter for sale. >> it's in the shape of the continental united states and three hearts mark the spot where the hijacked planes made impact on 9/11. now the museum has pulled the item from the gift shop and says it will give victims' families a say in what items are sold in the store. >> that's unfortunate, because it is -- the museum itself is so, so well-done. but, you know, the gift shop's gotten some criticism. >> it's good now that they have some of the victims' family members on the board and they're consulting with them over decisions like this. it's a good call. just in time for flashback friday, the cast of one of our favorite shows from the '80s is coming back, reuniting. take a look. ♪ all i need have a little help from my friends ♪ >> i love that show. remember "the wonder years," the coming of age show featuring the

adventures of little kevin arnold, his best friend paul and girlfriend winnie. it ran for six seasons. >> but now the cast is back, fred savage, danica mckellar and the gang gathering around the family table to promote the upcoming release of the dvds. the stars tweeting photos of this fun reunion. and, of course, they took time out to do, what else, what we love, selfies. but how iconic. one of the best of all time. >> fantastic. >> back when they had good theme songs. like "the a-team." what do you do when you're trying to throw off one of the best in the business? lebron james. why not just blow in his ear? that's what his opponent lance stephenson did wednesday night. the indiana pacers star taking courtside distraction to a whole new level. lebron just -- what the. as you know, the internet, of course, has to get involved. they are photoshoping lance into some iconic moments.

for example, you wonder how marilyn monroe's dress got blown up. enjoying ice cream and shakes with the friends cast. 50 cent's first pitch. >> oh, that's what happened. >> that's what happened. >> and that's what's trending today. coming up next, mark zuckerberg's wife priscilla chan speaking out in >> facebook founder mark zuckerberg and his wife are

making big news. they pledged $120 million to the san francisco bay area school system. i had the chance to sit down with priscilla earlier this week. we talked about the generous donation, their beloved dog and of course that hoody. >> it's funny because i think a lot of people know your name but there's not that much out there about with you. you haven't done a lot of interviews. >> no. you're my 1st. >> you avoid the lime light. >> i do. >> priscilla was willing to step in for a moment that is near and dear. this morning she and her husband facebook founder mark zuckerberg announced a $120 commitment to the san francisco bay area school system with the goal of upgrading the classroom and energizing students. >> the bay area is our home. we've seen first-hand the quality of education really varies in our area. from the highest performing

school to the most underserved of schools. >> for chan, this mission is personal. the kind of kids she and zuckerberg hope to help was the kind of kid she once was, growing up in quincy, massachusetts. >> i grew up as the child of two immigrant parents who left their home country in refugee boats. my parents worked hard, my mom working two jobs my entire childhood. my grandparents not speaking english. my job to interpret for them and help them. >> what kind of kid were you? >> i was really up tight. i'm the oldest child. i boss my middle sister around all the time. >> it was her public school teachers that helped her discover her potential. >> what do you think the teachers saw in you? how did they make a difference for you personally? >> when you're growing

good morning, everyone. it is 11:15 on the east coast. 8:15 on the west. breaking news from the white house to bring you. we expect president obama to speak at any moment following his meeting with eric shinseki, embattled secretary of veterans affairs. this meeng comes amid growing calls for shinseki's resignation over treatment delays at v.a. facilities nationwide. shinseki addressed the scandal this morning during his speech to advocates for homeless vets and called it irresponsible and unacceptable. we want to turn to david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." a lot of people are expecting the president to make some kind of announcement with regard to shinseki's future. >> we know shinseki is in a precarious situation and we hear from the president momentarily. democrats, not just republicans, starting to say how could he

have not known and better managed horrible abuses within the v.a. in the phoenix facility. inordinate wait times, leading to deaths. had is starting to affect the president's own managerial positioning and credibility. there are a lot of questions now. the bipartisan nature of this, though, really the most difficult thing for the president. >> scandal that started in phoenix but seems to be ever widening. let's go to chuck todd who is at the white house. >> reporter: i can tell you this. the president is receiving this internal report from shinseki that he asked for last week after their meeting. but politically, the white house knows what they have to do. they have this problem, democratic candidates are being impacted by this and is a huge issue for him. i hear the clicks. he must be behind. >> good morning, everybody. a few minutes ago, secretary shinseki and rob nabors presented me with the

department's initial review of the v.a. iffacilities nationwid. what they found is that the misconduct has not been limited to a few v.a. facilities but many across the country. totally unacceptable. our veterans deserve the best and they earned it and last week i said that if by found misconduct it would be punished and i meant it. secretary shinseki has begun the process of firing many of the people responsible, including senior leaders at the phoenix v.a. he canceled any possible performance bonuses for any vha senior executives and has ordered the v.a. to personally contact every veteran in phoenix waiting for appointments to get them the care they need and that they deserve. this morning, i think some of you also heard rick take a truly remarkable action in public remarks. he took responsibility for the

conduct of those facilities and apologized to his fellow veterans and to the american people. and a few minutes a go secretary shinseki offered me his own resignation with considerable regret, i accepted. rick shinseki has served his country with honor for nearly 50 years. he did two tours of combat in vietnam. a veteran that left a part of himself on the battlefield. he wrote trode the command, ser army chief of staff, and has never been afraid to speak truth to power. the secretary of the v.a. presided over record investments in our veterans. enroll 2 million veterans in health care and delivering disability pay to more vietnam veterans exposed to agent orange and making easier for veterans with post traumatic stress, mental health issues and traumatic brain injury to get

treatment and improving care for our women veterans and at the same time he helped reduce veteran homelessness and helped more than 1 million veterans, service members and their families pursue their education under the post-9/11 g.i. bill. so rick's commitment to our veterans is unquestioned. his service to our country is exemplary. i am grateful for his service as are many veterans across the country. he has worked hard to investigate and identify the problems with access to care. as he told me this morning, the v.a. needs new leadership to address them. he does not want to be a distraction because his priority is to fix the problem and make sure that our vets are getting care they need. that was rick's judgment on behalf of his fellow veterans. i agree. we don't have time for

distractions and we immediate to fix the problem. for now, the leader that will help move us forward is sloan gibson who will take on the reins as acting secretary. sloan became deputy secretary at the v.a. just three months ago but he, too, has devoted his life to serving our country and veterans. his grandfather fought on the frontlines of world war i. his father was a tail gunner in world war ii. sloan graduate prosecuted west point, earned his airborne and ranger qualifications and served in the infantry and was president and ceo of the uso which does a remarkable job supporting our men and women at war, their families, and wounded warriors and families of the fallen. all told sloan was 20 years of experience he brings to bear on our ongoing work to build a 21st century v.a. i'm grateful he is willing to take on this task. i met with sloan after i met

with rick and made it clear reform should not wait. they need to proceed immediately. i also asked rob nabors temporarily to stay to help sloan and the department through the transition and complete his own review of the vha. in the meantime we are going to look diligently for a new permanent v.a. secretary and hope to confirm that successor unt and fill that post as soon as possible. we will do right for our veterans across the board. as long as it takes. if i immediate to stop working to make sure they get the care, the beenits and opportunities they earned and they deserve. i said we wouldn't tolerate misconduct and we will not. i said we have to do better and we will. there are too many veterans receiving care that need all of our best efforts and honest assessment if something is not working. this week i visited some men and women in you don't know form at different stages of their service. our newest army officers who

graduated from west point, troops kur interestly serving in afghanistan, and our veterans and military families at arlington. what i saw is what i have seen in every service member, veteran and military spouse that i have had the privilege to meet. a selfless commitment to serving our country the best way they know how. they are the best our country has to offer. they do their duty. they expect us to do ours. today i want every man and woman who served on our flag to know your tour has been over for decades or if it is just about to end that we will never stop working to do right by you and your families. let me take a couple of questions. . >> mr. president, what's changed in your opinion of secretary shinseki in the last few days?

you said you had confidence in him even coming in today saying it was time for him to resign. what made the difference in your mind? >> rick's judgment. i think his belief that he would be a distraction from the task at hand. which is to make sure that what is broken gets fixed so that his fellow veterans are getting services they need. i want to reiterate he is a very good man. i don't just mean he is an accomplished man. i don't just mean that he has been an outstanding soldier. he is a good person who has done exemplary work on our behalf. and under his leadership, we have seen more progress on more fronts at the v.a. and bigger investments in the v.a. than

just about any other v.a. secretary. cut by 24%. brought in folks who had been exposed to agent orange who had been waiting for decades to get the services and benefits they earned. making sure that post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brynn injury, was dealt with in a serious way. making sure we had facilities for our women vets who all too often weren't receiving the kind of specialized services that they needed. so he has been a champion of our veterans and where there are problems he has been ready and willing to get in will and fix them. so with the disability backlog that had shot up as a consequence of the admission of the agent orange veterans as well as making it's easier to

apply for post-traumatic stress disorder disability claims, he went at it in a systematic way and we cut it by 50% over the course of the last year or so. he's not adverse to admitting where there is a problem and going after it. but, you know, we occupy not just an environment that calls for management fixes, we also have to deal with congress and you guys and i think rick's judgment that he could not carry out the next stages of the reform without being a distraction himself. and so my assessment was, unfortunately, he was right. i regret that he has to resign under these circumstances but i also have confidence in sloan

and i share rick shinseki's assessment the number one priority is making sure that problems get fixed so that if there is a veteran out there that needs help, they are getting a schedule and they are able to come in and see a doctor and that if there are facilities that don't have enough doctors or nurses or do not have enough space, that -- that information immediately gets in the hands of the decisionmakers all the way up to me and all the way to congress so we can get more resources in there to help folks. and that seems to be the biggest problem. i think that's the thing that offended secretary shinseki the most during the course of this process. he described to me the fact that when he was in theater, he might have to order an attack just based on a phone call from some 20-something-year-old corporal and he has a to trust he is getting good position and it is life or death.

i think he's deeply disappointed in the fact that bad news did not get to him. that structures were not in place for him to identify this problem quickly and fix it. his priority is to make sure that happens and he felt like new leadership would be -- would serve our veterans best and i agree with him. >> mr. president, based on the audit, early-stage audit of the secretary presented to you, is there a sense there was criminal wrongdoing? i guess more broadly, how much responsibility do you personally bear this being an issue cared about deeply during your administration now that we are at this point? >> well, i will leave it up to the justice department to make determinations in terms of whether there has been criminal wrongdoing. in terms of the responsibility, as i said before, it is my administration. i always take responsibility for whatever happens and this is an

area that i have a particular concern with. this pre-dates my presidency. when i was in the senate. i was on the veterans affairs committee. i heard firsthand veterans who were not getting the kinds of services and benefits that earned. i pledged that if i had the privilege of serving as commander in chief and president, that we would fix it. the v.a. is a big organization that has had problems for a very long time. some cases management problems and some cases funding problems. so what we try to do is systematically go after the problems that we were aware of and fix them. and where we have seen our veterans not being properly served, whether it was too many homeless veterans or a disability claims process that was taking too long, we would go at it and chip away at it and fix it. when it came to funding, we

increased funding for v.a. services in an unprecedented fashion because we understood that it is not enough just to give lip service to our veterans but not being willing to put our money where our mouths are. so what i can say confidently is that this has been a priority. it has been a priority reflected in my budget and that in terms of managing the v.a., where we have seen a problem, where we have been aware of a problem, we have gone after it and fixed it and have been able to make significant progress. but what is absolutely clear is this one, issue of scheduling, is one that the reporting system inside of the vha did not surface to the level where rick was aware of it or we were able to see it. this was not something we were hearing when i was traveling around the country, the particular issue of scheduling

and what we are going to have to do part of the review will have to be see how we make sure we get information about systems that aren't working. i just -- was talking to rob nabors. he described to me, for example, just in very specific detail, how in some of the facilities you got computer systems for scheduling that date back to the '90s. situations in which one scheduler might have to look at four or five different screens to figure out where there is a slot and where there might be a doctor available. situations in which they are manually passing requests for an appointment over to somebody else who has been inputting them. so you have, in many cases, old systems, broken down systems. this is stuff that's imminently fixable but you have to know about it. you know, the big concern that i

have got and what i'm going to be interested in finding out is how is it that in a number of these facilities, if in fact you have veterans that are waiting too long for an appointment, that that information didn't surface sooner so we could go ahead and fix it. one last point i want to make on this. when veterans have gotten access to the system, the health care itself that they are receiving has gotten high marks from our veterans service organizations and veterans themselves. i think it is important to keep in mind that what the review indicates so far at least is that there have been great strides made in the actual care provided to veterans. the challenge is getting veterans into the door, particularly for the first appointment in some cases. and -- where they don't have an

established relationship with a doctor and are not in the system. part of that will be technology. part of that is management. but as rick shinseki himself indicated, there is a need for a change in culture within the vha and perhaps the vha as a whole -- v.a. as a whole, that makes sure that bad news gets surfaced quickly so that things can be fixed. i know that was the attitude of secretary shinseki and that was what he communicated to folks under him but they didn't execute. that's a problem. last question. >> mr. president. you said that it was a general judgment that made the decision here for you. if i remember correctly, secretary sebelius offered you her resignation after healthcare.gov failed and you declined to take it. i wonder if there is a little bit of scapegoating taking place here. >> meaning? >> meaning -- i mean, the --

dysfunction within the department seems to have been very deep and very widespread. you know, lopping the head of it really -- the best going forward -- what i'm asking is, is there a political reason for removing him other than going straight to the problem? b >> the does tractions rick refers to in part are political. he needs to be -- at this stage what i want is somebody at the v.a. who is not spending time outside of solving problems for the veterans. i want somebody spending every minimum of every day figuring out have we called ery single veteran that's waiting? have they gotten a schedule? are we fixing the system? what kind of new technology do we immediatneed? have we made an assessment of

the wait times and how will we bring the wait times down where they need to be brought down. if we immediate more money, how much more money do we need to ask from congress? and how am i going to make sure congress delivers on that additional funding? that's what i want somebody at the v.a. focused on. not how are they getting second-guessed and speculation about hair futures and so forth so on. that was what rick agreed to as well. with respect to secretary sebelius at the time i thought it would be a distraction to replace somebody at a time we were trying to fix that system. i wanted to just stay focused because i knew if we beared down on it and got folks in place without it work. in each instance, my -- my

primary decision is based on how can i deliver service to the american people in and in this case how can i deliver for our veterans? and because they are people of integrity, i think that in both the cases of secretary sebelius, certainly in the case here of rick shinseki, they got the same priority. their view is what is it that will will best deliver on behalf of folks who, as rick said this morning, have been let down? >> at the time you felt she has so much knowledge about what has gone wrong that we couldn't afford to lose that. somebody with three months in leadership at the department have the capacity to attack a problem quickly now? >> well, we are going to need a new v.a. secretary. as long as sloan is acting, sloan would be the first to acknowledge he will have a learning curve that he has to deal with. but the nature of the problem that has surfaced and -- has been the cause of the tension is one that we can start tackling

right away and without completely transforming this system, we can immediately make some progress. we are going to have longer-term issues that we are going to have take care of. my first step is everybody who is out there waiting, get them an appointment. if we need more doctors let's figure out how we can have doctors in there to make sure they are getting the help they need. what i want to make sure of then is that even if it is still patchwork, how do we make sure that there is no slippage between somebody making a phone call and then getting an appointment scheduled? let that be a realistic time for how soon they are going to get an appointment. those are things that don't require rocket science. it requires execution and requires discipline and requires focus and those are things that sloan has. they are then going to be some

broader issues that we are going to have to tackle and the information inside the vha. those are probably going on have to be changed. that will cost some money and take some time and have to be implemented. i think there is going to have to be some changes in the culture within the vha because of, as i said, they are providing very good service. medical treatment to our veterans when they get in the system. but they don't have, apparently the state of the art operations that you would want to see in major medical center or hospital. keep in mind, those of us who are outside of the v.a. system and trying to get an appointment with the doctor in the private sector and trying to get an appointment for, you know, schedule for a hospital visit, will are wait times as well. what we have to do is figure out what are realistic benchmarks for the system and my suspicion

is that with not only all the veterans from iraq and afghanistan coming back but also the aging of our vietnam vets who -- may have more chronic illnesses and may need more visits, we may immediate to get more doctors. we may immediate to get more nurses. and that's going to cost some money which means that is going to have to be reflected in the veterans affairs budget which i consistently increased even during fiscally tight times there has been no area where i put more priority than making sure that we are delivering the kind of budget that is necessary to make sure our veterans are being served but it may still not be enough. we are going to -- before we start spending more money, our first job is let's take care of basic management issues that i think can be fixed. all right. thank you. >> mr. president.

>> that was president obama speaking from the press speaking room at the white house announcing he accepted the resignation of v.a. eric shinseki. twice wounded vietnam veteran, decorated soldier, four-star general. the president said it is with considerable regret and it seems it truly was. >> it is very hard in politics when something really bad happens on your watch and you don't know about it to stay in your position. that's what happened here. the president underlined something that's so crucial. not only is there a political environment he is operating in you have a lot of returning vets, aging vets that need a lot of services. the v.a. may immediate more money and different kinds of management to deal with this overwhelming health care system and demand that it faces. >> this resignation is the first step of a very long process and we should mention had a sloan, deputy secretary at the v.a., will be taking over as interim secretariful they find a permanent -- secretary until

they find a permanent replacement. this has been an nbc news special report. me a time machine ♪ ♪ put the moon back up in the sky ♪ ♪ put your midnight hair back up ♪ ♪ one more time that touch ♪ ♪ your skin i'm kissing your lips ♪ ♪ kiss them again so good ♪ ♪ so right this is one night ♪ ♪ i'm wishing i could rewind ♪ ♪ i turn back that radio dial reopen your door ♪ ♪ try to talk george strait into giving us an encore ♪ ♪ spin you down that sound of you laughing ♪

♪ when we hit the ground ♪ ♪ i can see it now put the moon back up in the sky ♪ ♪ put your midnight hair back up so you can let it fall ♪ ♪ that touch, your skin kissing your lips ♪ ♪ so good, so right this is one night i'm wishing i could rewind ♪ ♪ lord have mercy baby, relive this night ♪ ♪ put the moon back up

until the sky ♪ ♪ put your midnight hair back up so you can let it fall one more time ♪ ♪ that touch, your skin kissing your lips kiss them again ♪ ♪ so good, so right this is one night wishing i could rewind ♪ ♪ relive this night oh oh oh ♪ ♪ yes, i do oh oh oh ♪ ♪ >> and rascal flatts is just

getting started on a friday morning. we'll have a lot more music in a moment. we'll talk to the guys. but first, this is "today" on nbc. gridlock. teacher layoffs. and a 60 billion dollar budget deficit. that's what john perez faced when he became speaker of the california assembly. so he partnered with governor brown to pass three balanced budgets, on time. for the first time in thirty years. today, the deficits are gone and we've invested an additional 2 billion dollars in education.

now john perez is running for controller, to keep fighting for balanced budgets. democrat john perez for controller.

we're back with more of our toyota summer concert series, and huge kudos go out to our friends in rascal flatts. they just landed in new york a few hours ago. had a great show last night in maryland. so thank you, guys, for turning and burning on that one. >> they're on tour for their highly acclaimed new album "rewind." it debuted at number one. guys, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> before we get started, i heard there was an order for a lot of coffee. you guys drove all night after your show in maryland? >> yeah, we did. we said, thank you, maryland, good night! and now all of a sudden we're going, how you doing, new york?

all in the same breath. >> in the same clothes, too. >> didn't etch change. >> congratulations on the new record. i was just saying it is getting rave reviews. how do you keep pulling that off? >> i don't know. these people right here. that's why. 14 years now we've been doing this. we just love it. we're in love with these people and what we get to do for a living. >> i've heard you guys say this, too. you say the litmus for a great song is really just we're all human, and when you get goosebumps and hear a song like "rewind", you know it's a great song. this album's got a lot of them on it. >> we've been blessed with being able to find some really great, great songs. that's it, it's the goosebump factor. >> jay, how's the coffee? >> it's really good. >> is it hot? be honest. >> it's lukewarm. >> how about the album? normally takes you guys about six months to get an album. this one took a little bit longer. why's that? >> it's been like a year and a half, but we really wanted to take our time, figure out what we needed to say this time.

really critical album for us. we needed to shake things up. we produced a lot of it ourselves. we took the time to find out what not to do as well. so we experimented a little bit and took the time that we needed to. >> you want me to hold the coffee? >> sure. >> unless you want to sing with it. >> no. >> you're one rascal flatts song away from a nap. >> want a sip real quick? >> can i keep that cup? >> yes, you can. >> mugs for all of you. take it away, rascal flatts. >> rascal flatts. >> y'all, this is our next single! it's called payback. ♪ straight past the bouncer looking so fine you got your tight jeans on ♪ ♪ and your hair done right all your girlfriends throwing down tonight ♪ ♪ now let me guess

somebody done you wrong ♪ ♪ and you're looking for a way to get your feel good on ♪ ♪ pictures on instagram and show him what he's missing ♪ ♪ a girl on a mission baby i can be your payback ♪ ♪ gonna help you get your sway back ♪ ♪ take you to the dance floor lean you way back yeah lean you way back ♪ ♪ gonna have a real good time don't worry about your tab put it on mine ♪ ♪ baby i can be your payback da da da da da da ♪ ♪ i bet he's sitting at home all alone in the dark ♪ ♪ probably texting like mad wants to know where you are ♪ ♪ 'cause he didn't even know it's what he had until he lost it ♪ ♪ should have known running around was gonna cost him ♪

♪ a girl as pretty as you i know it's true thinking about it that way feels good, don't it ♪ ♪ baby i can be your payback gonna help you get your sway back ♪ ♪ take you to the dance floor i'mma be your payback ♪ ♪ gonna have a real good time don't worry about your tab, girl put it on mine ♪ ♪ we can show him if we wanna play that game baby, i can be your payback ♪ ♪ can be your payback gonna help you get your sway back ♪ ♪ lord have mercy

i can be your payback i can be your p-p-p-payback ♪ ♪ da da da da da da ♪ >> rascal flatts, thank you. don't want to misup next, the guys perform one of their biggest hits. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

some flatt heads. back now with more music from country supergroup rascal flatts on our toyota summer concert stage. give it up for rascal flatts. take it away, guys. >> new york city, let's turn it up! ♪ life's like a road

that you travel on ♪ ♪ one day here and the next day gone ♪ ♪ sometimes you bend sometimes you stand ♪ ♪ sometimes you turn your back to the wind ♪ ♪ there's a world outside every darkened door ♪ ♪ where the blues won't haunt you anymore ♪ ♪ come ride with me to the distant shore ♪ ♪ we won't hesitate to break down the garden gate ♪ ♪ there's not much time left today ♪ ♪ life is a highway i wanna ride it all night long ♪ ♪ if you're going my way i wanna drive it all night long ♪ ♪ through all these cities and all these towns ♪ ♪ it's in my blood and it's all around ♪ ♪ i love you now like i loved you then ♪ ♪ this is the road and these are the hands ♪

♪ the khyber pass to vancouver's lights ♪ ♪ knock me down get back up again ♪ ♪ there's no load i can't hold road so rough this i know ♪ ♪ i'll be there when the light comes in ♪ ♪ tell 'em we're survivors ♪ life is a highway i'm gonna ride it all night long ♪ ♪ you're going my way i'm gonna drive it all night long ♪ ♪ life is a highway i'm gonna ride it all night long ♪ ♪ if you're going my way i'm gonna drive it all night long ♪ ♪ now there was a distance between you and i

between you and ♪ ♪ got a misunderstanding once but now we look it in the eye ♪ ♪ and joe don picked up the guitar, he started to play! whoo! ♪ there ain't no hold that i can't hold roads are rough this i know ♪ ♪ i'll be there when the light comes in just tell 'em we're survivors ♪ ♪ life is a highway i'm gonna ride it all night long ♪ ♪ just a little bit louder now you're going my way i wanna drive it

all night long ♪ ♪ yeah yeah life is a highway i'm gonna ride it all night long ♪ ♪ you're going my way i'm gonna drive it all night long ♪ well, good morning, everyone. 8:56. i'm scott mcgrew. a new picture this morning of the man who burglarized a downtown mountain view restaurant. police say this man forced his way into the house just before midnight last night and stole 700 from the register. officers say he's a white man in his 60s with grey hair. he wears glasses. that does not describe christina loren. let's check in with her.

>> i do wear glasses, believe it or not. 8:56 now, taking a live look at the south bay. you'll need your shades and your corrective lens ifs you're like me. as we head throughout the day today, temperatures will head out of the 50s, into the 70s, really. a nice, comfortable day shaping up for us. much cooler as we head into this weekend for tomorrow, but stay nights.

from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist, and tamron hall, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today." it's friday morning, may 30th, 2014. a big crowd still out on the plaza for rascal flatts. they're coming back in our hour to play one more song. they killed it out there. >> the flatt heads. >> such huge fans. >> they draw a crowd, don't they? >> they do. >> you think? >> and they are loyal fans. they'll show up for any concert. >> if you've got a name like the flatt heads, that means you've got a legion. >> you've got a following. >> i'm willie. this is tamron, natalie, al. >> the geist-meisters.

>> they follow you everywhere you go. >> like the scooby doo van. >> all three of them. >> my three fans, that's all i've got. donald sterling back in the news again today. the los angeles clippers, an agreement of sorts has been reached to sell that team for $2 billion to former microsoft ceo steve ballmer, but donald sterling says it's not a done deal yet. overnight, shelly sterling, his wife, released a statement that read in part, i'm delighted we're selling the team to steve who will be a terrific owner. ballmer thanked shelly sterling in the same statement writing, i intend to do everything in my power to ensure the clippers continue to win and win big in los angeles. so, he agreed to pay about four times more for the clippers than the previous record for any nba franchise. >> unbelievable. >> huge market. they're a very hot team. they're kind of up and coming.

the lakers have waned a little bit lately. >> i'm sure donald sterling is onboard with this. >> well, donald sterling's attorney tells nbc news this talk is premature. not so fast, my friend. >> i'm shocked. >> sterling, he has not, he says, agreed to sell the clippers at any price whatsoever, even if it's $2 billion. on tuesday, nba owners expected to vote to take that choice out of his hands. they need three quarters of the owners to vote him out of the league, strip him of his ownership. >> even if they do that, still will probably take a vote. >> oh yeah. >> this is going to drag on for years. >> they bought the team for $12 million in the '80s. get an offer for two billion, take the money! get out. walk away. maybe the story will go away. if you fight it, the story continues. >> we're offering rational thought to a guy that -- >> exactly. >> i think he likes this. >> i think he does, too. >> i think he loves it. >> he's not doing it for the money. when he is the team owner, he gets to sit on the front row and everyone come over and he's the man. he still wants that praise. the money doesn't matter.

he's loaded before the sell of this team. he wants to be idolized and praised and be in the mix. but this, again, is a smart deal. when you think about merchandising, for example. when jason collins joined the nets briefly, his jersey went to number one. michael sam, jersey, top of the line. so they know that you're going to be able to sell this team, and people will rally for the clippers players after all they've been through. i'm not even a clippers fan and i'm ready for them to move on so i can now root for them and get whoever -- who's on the team? >> chris paul. blake griffin. a great young team. >> whoever is on the team, we root for you. >> by the time this is over, they probably will have retired. >> chris paul will be 90. >> it will be nice when it's done and the team can just have their moment. >> let's move on. >> another big part of this, the attorney also said, is he wants donald sterling to be cleared as a racist. he says he's not a racist. he wants the nba to come out and say he's not a racist. and he won't do anything -- they want an apology basically from the nba for portraying him as a

racist publicly. >> unbelievable. >> i don't think that's coming. >> he needs a clear view of things. he should go to the willis tower. >> nice segue. >> so smooth. >> he should go right now. go right now. >> no, no. >> thank you for my segue, al. here's what happened at the willis tower. a group of tourists had a scary night on wednesday when they were all standing on that glass skylight where you can really see straight out and down, if you dare. and it began to crack. >> oops. >> yeah. so the glass box edges allow people to basically just hang right over, about 1,300 feet over street level. that's 103 stories high. antonio saldana and his family were looking down, when suddenly -- >> it made that noise? >> it made that noise. >> sounds fine to me. >> like static on a radio. >> scary enough, scary enough.

>> special effects when you need them. one and a half inches of glass between them and the ground cracked. take a listen to what he had to say. >> people were jumping on it. we jumped on it 20 minutes before, playing around, taking pictures. a million things went through my mind. first off is get off immediately. at the second, you feel like you're going to fall. >> the willis tower people say the cracks were only in the protective coating and did not affect the structural integrity of the piece that was holding everybody up. three of the four ledges were opened late yesterday. the cracked ledge was repaired. it is expected to be reopened this morning. would you go? >> okay, what's your problem? oh, i can fix that. that's no problem. >> put that silicone on there. okay, it's all good. >> aren't they good, by the way? >> they're good. >> they show up and they work.

>> got an endorsement. repaired by safelite. >> safelite repair, safelite replace. >> do that again? >> they only get one plug. >> like six now. >> safelite repairs, safelite replace. >> we know what you're doing after we leave this place. >> i'm their new jingle guy. >> the geist-meister. >> there it is. and we only do jingles. >> does this go back to summer stock? >> yeah, thank you for bringing that up. do you have the accompanying photograph? >> we don't. >> that's too bad. >> i was a young actor in "the sound of music" and i wore knee-highs and little short shorts. >> this was two weeks ago. >> at his birthday party. >> it's in his book, which is -- >> good talk, dad," which is perfect for father's day. >> this is good. history was made at the scripps spelling bee.

it is only now the second time in history that there's been a tie, the first time it happened, 1962. the winners 13-year-old ansun sujoe from texas, the great state of texas, i should say. and 14-year-old sriram hathwar from new york. they beat out 281 contestants from across the world. they each get 30,000 -- can you imagine a 14-year-old with $30,000? that's not what i would be thinking at 13, but my mom would. take a look at the final words they had to spell. >> stichomythia. s-t-i-c-h-o-m-y-t-h-i-a. stichomythia. >> correct. >> f-e-u-i-l-l-e-t-o-n? >> correct.

[ applause ] >> it was delivered by two actors. i said in case you wanted to know. i didn't just assume anything. feuilleton is part of a magazine or newspaper devoted to fiction, criticism, or light literature. did you know that? >> i've been reading my feuilleton a lot lately. >> i thought that was a bed. >> the guest comes over, you throw it open. >> everybody slept on a feuilleton in college. >> here is the moment, i've got to show you. it's gone viral. i actually saw it with you earlier. 15-year-old jacob williamson. take a look. >> i know it! i know it! i totally know it. okay.

c-a-b-a-r-a-g-o-y-a. what? >> it is spelled k-a-b-a-r-a-g-o-y-a. >> oh! my heartbreaks for that little boy. >> i feel so bad. >> he's a legend now. >> come on. >> i know it! i know it! >> oh, no, you don't. >> and he goes back to school on monday. >> they're just going to look at him and go, what? >> he's a legend now. he's going to have product placement by willie. >> safelite maybe? >> safelite's going to call him. i love it. anyway, our co-winners were super cute. they were in the orange room this morning. and they plan to do a little shopping. and buy a ferrari with the $30,000. >> $30,000 isn't getting a ferrari. >> they're going to lease it. >> yeah, they can't drive yet, but they can lease it.

we love this story, because it's one of our own. great news. a security guard who works right here at rockefeller center winning $3 million in the lottery. after buying a scratch-off ticket on his lunch break. lafayette suleman, a 58-year-old father from three, immigrant from gayana, bought the $10 ticket from a vending machine. took it back to work, scratched it off. found out he won the jackpot. he said he hadn't decided what he's going to do with his winnings. a lump sum payment of more than $1.5 million. he isn't quitting the job now. he plans to hang low. >> although we called him this morning -- >> he's on vacation. >> hanging low. >> hanging low. >> take a long, permanent vacation and enjoy those millions. >> suleman! >> right here, 48th street. he bought it right behind us. >> he's buying a safelite franchise. >> yeah! >> there you go. >> with willie as the pitch man.

>> willie's going to sing his jingle. we have all this moisture still in the gulf. eventually it is all moving east. right now, miami, you're looking good. plenty of sunshine. but by the afternoon, you're going to have strong storms hanging around, so may be some airport delays as well. we're also talking about all this rain, some areas in louisiana have picked up nine inches of rain. look at this. we have flash flood watches in effect until 7:00 this evening for biloxi, new orleans. and those extend all the way into the panhandle of florida. you can see some areas picking up to three inches of rain. you get into the western gulf, five to seven more inches of rain, and that's going t 9:11 now. happy friday to you. temperatures are already in the upper 50s to low 60s. we do have a gorgeous day shaping up for you. i want to show you the difference, though. at the coast, still overcast. that will likely be the coast for most of the day. we're getting full sunshine at this point in the south bay. and we're going to continue to see the sun break through those

clouds as we head through the next few hours, by lunchtime today, mostly sunny sky for most of the bay area and temperatures overall running about 10 degrees cooler as we get into this afternoon. want to give you a sneak peek of what to expect this weekend. temperatures mostly in the 80s. weather. >> all right, al, thanks a lot. tamron, second season, deadline crime coming up? >> yes, second season of "deadline: crime" starting this sunday. it's dedicated to the honor of my sister, her legacy and her life. and we explore a number of stories. but this year, i really went on the road and picked stories that i think our audience, our viewers will -- i guess it will give them food for thought about the justice system and the many trials that are out there. this season starts june 1st, 10:00 eastern time. thank you, guys. >> that's this sunday. >> thank you, guys. >> we'll look forward to that, tamron, thanks. a divine moment captured in one incredible image. the story behind this photograph and other memorable photos, that's right after this. [ brian ] in a race,

it's about getting to the finish line. in life, it's how you get there that matters most. it's important to know the difference. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. and that i had to take action. so he talked to me about xarelto®. [ male announcer ] xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. [ brian ] for a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. not this time. ♪ while i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didn't have to deal with that blood monitoring routine. ♪ you made great time. i found another way. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. while taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily

and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious bleeding, and in rare cases, may be fatal. get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is proven to reduce the risk of dvt and pe. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about xarelto® today. for more information including savings options, download the xarelto® patient center app, call 1-888-xarelto, or visit teamxarelto.com.

so, if you're what ysleeping in your is youcontact lenses, ask about the air optix® contacts so breathable they're approved for up to 30 nights of continuous wear. ask your doctor about safety information as serious eye problems may occur. visit airoptix.com for a free one-month trial. up to 60% off plus 10% offday mattress spectacular get an extra 5% off or up to 60 months financing and get free delivery start your search at sears, where members get more let's show 'em what a breakfast with whole grain fiber can do. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip, two espressos. make one a double. she's full and focused. [ barista ] i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos -- one with a double shot. heh, heh. that's not the coffee talkin'. [ female announcer ] start your day with kellogg's frosted mini wheats cereal. with whole wheat goodness on one side and a hint of sweetness on the other, it's a delicious way to get the nutrition you want.

a heartwarming day on memorial day, a show of pride at west point, and a little animal saying grace before sitting down to lunch. >> those are just some of the powerful images that caught our attention this week. here to give us the story is josh zeps. good morning. >> good to be back again. >> let's start off with memorial day, a day where we honor the men and women who have so bravely served our country and sacrificed so much. this photo actually sent to us here at nbc news, which says it all. >> yeah, this is not a professionally taken photo. this is just someone's personal story. her name is mattie, and that's her grandfather's grave, so on memorial day, she paid her respects. she had never met him, but that didn't mean she can't love him anyway. it's a good reminder that memorial day isn't just about hot dogs and barbecues, which is good, too. it has a deeper meaning behind it. >> i love that. >> beautiful shot. how about a big week for

graduation, of course, but maybe none more special than the one they have every year at west point. >> yeah, this was on wednesday at west point. i usually hate commencement speeches. they're boring. some bossy kind of person comes along to tell you how you should live your life. this time it was the president of the united states, the commander in chief delivering the commencement address. he gave a reasonably responsible foreign policy speech, saying the united states shouldn't be too interventionist, shouldn't be too isolationist. these are the happy campers who then afterwards get to graduate from the most prestigious military academy in the united states. >> do they get their hats back? >> if you lose it, you lose it. >> all right. this next one, it's kind of a poignant end to a horrifying week in isla vista, california. >> it's not that. but we'll get to it. this is an amazing photo that was taken by this photographer who works at a creative agency. he got out his camera for the

thunderstorm. early this week, this photograph of two lightning strikes, one on one world trade center. they had gone viral this week. i think i saw it on monday, like that's incredible. it apparently had the exposure open for about 20 seconds, so it doesn't have to be instantaneously at the same time, but nonetheless, at almost exactly the same time. >> incredible picture. >> amazing. >> what do we have next here? >> next is isla vista. >> this is in santa barbara. the university of california santa barbara surf team put together the idea of getting people out there on their surfboards to hold essentially a water vigil for the tragedy that happened, the shooting. they put it up on facebook. they got 3,000 responses on facebook from people saying they're going to join. we don't think that 3,000 people showed up, but hundreds of people did. there have been a week-long series of events to commemorate the tragedy.

>> and end with a pretty amazing image. amazing is in grace. >> i know you guys love this one. >> so cute. >> this is so adorable. we don't really know what this little guy was doing. it's in switzerland at an animal park. he was about to be fed his little fishy dinner, and a photographer just noticed that he was doing this. he's an oriental small-clawed otter. are you proud that even managed to memorize that? oriental small-clawed otter. he was doing this grace kind thing. swiss photographer came up, snapshot. >> they look like little human fingers. so adorable. josh, thank you so much. good stuff. coming up, i'm going to get you caught up on all the news you need to start your weekend, right after this. ♪ ♪

save on the things you love, for the people you love. get 5% off every single day with your debit or credit redcard. when you feel bloated, with discomfort, gas, not to mention the rumbling... you feel totally knocked out. eat activia. twice a day for four weeks. activia may reduce the frequency of minor digestive issues like bloating, gas, discomfort and rumbling. activia, feeling good starts from the inside. pass the wet skin challenge? neutrogena wet skin with helioplex does. on wet skin, ordinary sunscreen mixes with water and drips. neutrogena wet skin sprays on and stays on. forms a broad spectrum uva/uvb barrier. in and out of the water, for non-stop fun. get the best protection made for kids' wet skin. ♪ hey, hey wet skin kids. neutrogena. .. ♪

♪ ... benefiber is clear, taste-free and dissolves completely and unlike other fibers, you'll only know you're taking fiber by the way good digestive health makes you look& and feel. benefiber. clearly healthy. nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. visit angieslist.com today. ♪

i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy. mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served. fousugar. only six?ns. six grams of sugar? that's really good. excellent, delicious... and yummy! honey bunches of oats. tasty! yummy! [ laughs ] i travel a lot for business, but i have two little girls at home, gemma and abby. mom! my llama smells like you. oh, kiss llama for mommy! i use tide plus febreze in the wash. it keeps their clothes and stuffed animals smelling fresher for longer. plus the smell reminds them of me.

how many more sleeps until you're back? [ chuckles ] just one more! aw, that many? [ female announcer ] tide plus febreze. that's my tide plus. taking a look at the headlines. president obama has accepted the resignation of eric shinseki as head of the veterans administration. he made the announcement after meeting with shinseki this morning. the va has come under fire for delays in treat and alleged misconduct at va hospitals worldwide. they agree shinseki would be a distraction as the va works to correct its shortcomings. tanning beds will contain black box warnings saying they shouldn't be used by anyone under age 18. clients should be warned of

risks of skin cancer linked to the machines and they must add timers to tanning beds and limit the amount of radiation they can emit. the state of california taking steps to add warning labels to soda cans. all bottles and cans of sugary thinks must come with a simple warning label saying drinking beverages with added sugars contributes to diabetes and tooth deck decay. southwest airlines has been fined for running advertisements for a cheap fare that didn't exist. $59 flights were promised. southwest says it pulled ads after discovering a mistake in the audio portion and it says it honored tickets sold at that low price. and what do you call it when an elephant takes a picture of itself? an eflie of course. a tourist dropped an iphone at a wildlife park in england. the man was told to stay in his

car and keep moving but when he did get his phone back he found this elephant selfie to go with it. cool picture. we're right back after your local news. est trends. and i can redeem rewards anytime. yep, this summer we're spending less time shopping for it... and more time owning it. shop in-store, online or on your phone with the famously easy famous footwear app. victory is yours. hey! have an awesome vacation thank you so much! you're so sweet. yummy! key lime pie at 90 calories. it is so good for not giving in.

. a very good morning to you. it is 9:26 now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. surveillance video revealing more information about an attack at oakland high school. school leaders say last week, a school security officer found a wheelchair bound freshman in the hall late for class. when he started wheeling the student to class, the student reportedly resisted and as you saw in the video, investigators say the officer handcuffed the student and hit minimum several times before eventually dumping him on the floor. the officer was arrested and charged with child abuse. the principal sent out a letter to parents and staff explaining the incident and apologizing. mark zuckerberg and his wife have pledged $120 million to help bay area schools in low-income neighborhoods. the money will help start new public and charter schools as well as pay for equipment, training, and programs at

existing schools. the first $5 million will cover technology upgrades in the ravens, redwood city, and san francisco districts. making a big difference. we'll have a look at weather and traffic right after this break.

9:28. welcome back now. temperatures are already warming up. we're close to 60 degrees now. mountain view, concord, 59. we're at 58 here in san jose and 60s straight up in livermore. i want to show you the different sides your microclimates are showing at the coast. mostly cloudy conditions, lots of sunshine for us here in the south bay. we've got a gorgeous weekend shaping up. for today, 76 in the south bay, the peninsula, right at room temperature, 72, and 63 in san francisco. your full forecast in just a few moments. >> unpleasant, was don't be surprised. the bay bridge toll plaza has a big, big backup there. there was a stall reported westbound, somewhere just past the toll plaza and maybe even a fender bender earlier in the morning. as i say, about 9:00. this is what's causing late

slowing right here. now, as you look at the maps, we see a smoother drive on the east shore freeway, and coming out of the maze as well, north 880 is right there on the straightaway, approaching the toll plaza. we are moving the through those metering lights. the rest of your bay looking a little bit lighter, a lot lighter, let's say. the tri-valley, dublin interchange, no problems. northbound routes through the south bay, looking good. we had an earlier crash in fremont, which has moved to the shoulder. still slowing from 280 up towards 237, laura. back to you. >> thank you for joining us as well. another local news update coming up in a half an hour. have a good weekend. honey nut cheerios?d love 'em. neat! now you on the other hand... you need some help. why? look atchya. what is that? you mean my honey wand? [ shouting ] [ splat ] come on. matter of fact. [ rustling ] shirt. shoes. shades. ah! wow! now that voice... my voice? [ auto-tuned ] what's wrong with my voice? yeah man, bee got swag! be happy! be healthy!

that's gotta go too. ♪ hey! must be the honey! [ sparkle ] sweet. welcome back to "today." it's friday morning, may 30th, 2014. a little drake in our ear? i think a little drake as we came in on the cafe cam. it was low and little. turn my headphones off. i'm willie along with al, natalie, and tamron. >> so, somebody was up a little late last night on "watch what happens live." andy cohen, my man. >> willie geist was on. we don't want to suggest willie plays any favorites around here, but a viewer did ask him a very tough question. >> huh. >> and some of us are a little disappointed with the answer. >> i can explain this. >> okay, let's see it. >> hey, rosalyn, what's your question? >> my question is for willie. willie, if you were stuck on a desert island, which "today" show co-host would you want with

you and why? >> i only get one of them? >> yes, you only get one. >> i'd go with al roker. >> okay. >> you're going to get some good comedy, first of all. and more importantly, he can predict the weather. so you know what's coming in and out. so you can know when to escape, when to make your boat to get off the island. >> that was very thoughtful. >> he wants you for the weather. it's just for the weather. >> it's not. >> it's a practical answer. when am i getting off the island? when are the tides coming in? >> i'd go with al roker. i don't feel slighted. do you know when the tide's coming in? >> not to mention the snuggling. >> i was going to say the canoodling. >> the kissing that you've already experienced with one another. >> that's nice. >> let's remember that moment, shall we? >> you're being rejected, willie. >> no, i just didn't think he would share that. >> willie's reaching for you. >> come do the weather with me. >> oh, yes! >> just think if we were on an island together. >> this is a huge honor.

like if johnny carson called me over to the couch. >> here's something i haven't had somebody do. press the button. press the arrow. boom. and now watch the pollen move along. it's very warm. it's very sticky. it's got all sorts of things going on. >> i'm going to leave. >> anyway, not really good weather for pollen as you get up into the northeast. slight risk of strong storms saturday from the dakotas all the way down into wyoming. we're looking at wet weather through the southeast, gulf coast. gorgeous weather through the great lakes into the northeast. but then sunday, sunday! the east coast again spectacular. more rain in the central gulf on into the mississippi river valley, across to the plains. central plains, risk of strong storms. west coast, again, toasty in the southwest, s 9:32. you made it to friday. and temperatures today are going to be really comfortable. 79 degrees in the east bay. 63 for san francisco.

78 in the north bay. meanwhile, we'll hit about 76 in the south bay. we have a warming trend throughout the next couple of days, but a gradual warm-up for tomorrow. a little drizzle out there, and by sunday, that will be your better day to hit the beach. heat is going to crank as we get into next week. we're talking about a return of the triple digits and enjoy the 70s while they last. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks a lot. for a friendly competition we like to call this or that, it's a tech iq showdown at the o.k.corale. al roker against us. >> you're the expert, you don't need help. >> jason tans is the executive editor of "wired" magazine. jason, good morning. >> thank you for having me. >> good to see you, man. >> like wise, i'm sure. >> so you're ready to be tested? >> if you're ready. here we go. if you drop your phone in the

toilet, happens to many of us, you should dry it out by running -- >> didn't ask the question. >> put it in a bowl of rice. >> that is a good answer, but is not the question. >> please, finish the question. >> this vacuum cleaner or that hair drier. >> vacuum cleaner because i've done it and it worked. >> that is correct. hair dryers can burn out your circuit. that's why something like rice also draws out the moisture. >> rice does work as well. which is more dangerous, this, driving under the influence of alcohol, or that, driving while texting? >> texting. >> correct. >> thank you. according it is six times more dangerous. >> we just did this segment on this show. >> she pays attention. >> here we go. what is the best way to charge a laptop battery? this, run it down to zero. or that -- >> to zero. >> you charge it in spurts,

because if you charge it all the way up to full and leave it in, you actually burn it out. it's better to go from 40% to 80%. >> don't leave it overnight. >> interesting. >> i leave mine overnight. that's not a good thing. >> all right. who was the most googled celebrity in the united states in 2013, this miley cyrus, or that beyonce? >> miley. >> got to be miley. >> it is miley cyrus! >> this isn't exactly tech. >> tech is everywhere, al. you can define it broadly. beyonce actually topped bing's most searched, but miley was google. >> ah. interesting. >> okay. which is not a filter on instagram, this memphis, or that kelvin? >> memphis. >> correct. >> making a comeback. >> kelvin is, and half of all

photos published on instagram have no filter whatsoever. >> that one's filtered. >> yes. right. >> anyway, okay. which camera takes better pictures, this one with 12 megapixels or that one with 15? the answer is actually neither. >> i was going to say it's a trick question. >> it's a trick question. i don't know if we can go to the judges to figure out how to score that one. megapixels the not dictate picture quality as much as -- once you get past like ten megapixels. >> you want to take it to get it printed. >> is the game over? are we done? >> so what's the final score here? >> 3-1. >> sorry, al. >> that's all right. >> so let's walk over here. here we go. >> we choose our -- >> we get to choose.

>> you lost. yor ou you're out. >> she's benedict arnold. she was with our team and left. you don't get to reap the benefits. >> willie, you pick the prize. pick something good. >> let's get a boom box. >> that's very us. >> the essential kenny g. >> wow! >> you're the winner. >> you take that on a deserted island. >> i want you to have that, tamron. i love kenny g. >> thank you so much. >> thanks, jason. >> thank you, jason. >> she knows how to win a competition. world champion pit master marisa with a delicious new idea for weekend grilling. we'll find out right after these messages

[ female announcer ] the harshness of the sun, the cold wind, and the pollution and stress of modern life can make all skin sensitive. that's why simple is kind to skin. simple skincare is made with skin-loving ingredients and no harsh chemicals. because we know all skin can be sensitive. ♪ simple. the sensitive skin experts. ♪ get ready, get ready ♪ 'cause here i come [ male announcer ] take osteo bi-flex®. osteo bi-flex® is specially formulated with joint shield™ to nurture and help defend your joints°.

so now you can keep doing... and doing... and doing what you love. hi mom, dad. what'd you guys do today? the usual! the usual! ♪ get ready, 'cause here i come ♪ [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex, ready for action. like their crisp and fresh strawberry & avocado salad, make for a more invigorating afternoon. ♪ hey, look at them go. summer lunch combos -- under 600 calories and starting at just $6.99. at applebee's.

get america's largest and most dependable 4g lte networkslmart. and starting at just $6.99. for half the cost. and for a limited time, get a $25 gift card when you buy a samsung galaxy centura. straight talk wireless. only at walmart. we'll take something tasty and healthy. ♪ must be the honey! ♪ there's a party going on in your cereal bowl ♪ ♪ o's can help lower cholesterol ♪ ♪ oh why does it taste so great? ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey!

"today's kitchen" is brought to you by bush's baked beans. still made from our secret family recipe. >> everybody loves grilling, but if you've been outside grilling the last few weekends, maybe you're looking for an alternative to the same old burgers, hot dogs and steaks. >> here to lighten things up is melissa cookston, author of "smokin' in the boys' room." good morning, melissa. >> good morning. >> i know you are very passionate about your grilling. so how the you like to prepare your grill first? >> you know, really i like to set the grill up with two different temperature zones.

one hot for seearing in flavors. and another lower zone for cooking. that way you can get the temperature that you want as opposed to -- >> move it around a little bit. you also want to clean the grill and oil the grates. >> that's great for fish because fish really wants to stick to the oil. >> we're making a great marinated salmon. what do we get started with? >> the first thing is make our marinade, which contains soy sauce, pineapple juice, a little cano la oil. >> that's a lot of sugar. but it's just the marinade. the fresh ginger really brightens the flavor on salmon. >> how long do you like to let it sit in the marinade? >> actually, eight to 12 hours is optimum. you want to cover it and put it in the fridge for that amount of time. it's going to really bring out the intrinsic flavors in the salmon. cover that up, stick it in the refrigerator. >> 12 hours later -- >> you're making a glaze. >> uh-huh. this is going to be the glaze.

want to let that cook for a while just so that it will reduce a little bit. while that's reducing, if you could put some chipotle peppers in the blender here and we'll put a little vinegar in here as well. apple cider, just so it won't stick. blend that up for me. >> see if i can get this thing to work. >> you can do it. >> it's like i'm not having to work at all today. >> so that's blended. >> we just want to pour that in. >> i love the smell of chipotle like that. >> along with the apple cider vinegar. >> you don't have to salt the salmon at all. >> we want a well-balanced flavor. a little sweet, salty, acidic. just a little bit of sugar in this. >> just a little bit. >> a couple of tablespoons. yeah. >> a couple tablespoons.

>> we're absolutely going to incorporate that well. that will need to sit and reduce. it will get really thick. coating the back of the spoon, as you can see here. and this is what really, really makes the flavor in the salmon. >> so you'll take the salmon out of the marinade and on to the grill? >> on to the grill after it's marina marinated. >> so just keep glazing it? >> this absolutely makes this beautiful. makes the flavors just pop. it is a party on the taste buds. >> if you're doing this over an open fire, should you wait until toward the end to do this? otherwise that sugar could burn. >> that is the most common thing people want to do. they want to put the sauce on too early. most sauces contain sugars, which will caramelize and burn. >> so wait until the end. and you serve it up like this? >> exactly. >> some grilled asparagus. >> in the book, there's recipe

for balsamic vinegar. love charred citrus. >> by the way, for the recipes, be sure to check out our website, today.com. meanwhile, coming up next, what goes better with barbecue than some good country music? rascal flatts taking to our summer concert stage. right after this. so, duke, what do you think of our new bush's baked beans video game? i think i'm getting the hang of it. [ jay ] okay, now pick up the specially cured bacon! hit it with the brown sugar! now roll that beautiful bean footage! yes! [ jay ] bush's baked beans are slow-cooked according to our secret family recipe for a big flavor. high score! you get to put your name on the wall of fame! [ beeping ] whoa! game over... aww, you're no fun. [ jay ] enjoy bush's baked beans. still made from our secret family recipe. [ jay ] enjoy bush's baked beans. nature valley crunchy granola bars contain 1/3 of your daily whole grains, so 1/3 of this commercial is dedicated to what you could do with all that energy.

1/3 of your daily whole grains means energy to make some new ocean friends. nature valley crunchy granola bars. like their crisp and fresh strawberry & avocado salad, make for a more invigorating afternoon. ♪ hey, look at them go. summer lunch combos -- under 600 calories and starting at just $6.99. at applebee's. and starting at just $6.99. up to 60% off plus 10% offday mattress spectacular get an extra 5% off or up to 60 months financing and get free delivery start your search at sears, where members get more into these starburst minis? they built a factory in miniminneapolis. they're experts at shrinking regular starburst. everything's mini there. wait, what? [ beeping, whirring ]

[ female announcer ] starburst minis. unexplainably juicy. [ female announcer ] starburst minis. i cthis year aloneore places offi hit new york...ist. and texas! see, hotwire checks the competition's rates every day... so they can guarantee their low hotel prices. ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com they'll wanna eat it rightgonna away.od and country crock stirs in easily, to give mashed potatoes that rich buttery flavor your family loves, everytime. welcome to crock country. they always figure it out. so they deserve a smart choice in litter. we make fresh step scoopable with carbon that's trapping and eliminating odors. fresh step, your cat deserves the best. the toyota concert series on "today" brought the you by toyota.

>> rascal flatts has been up around the top of the country music scene for more than a decade now, selling more than 22 million albums. >> and their latest "rewind" debuted at number one on the country music charts and they've been thrilling our crowd all morning long. here they are, rascal flatts singing "why wait." ♪ what do you say girl we do something crazy ♪ ♪ been putting it off you know what i'm saying ♪ ♪ ain't like it ain't gonna happen forever's a given ♪ ♪ it's already written who we kidding

baby come on ♪ ♪ the stars can't line up any straighter ♪ ♪ let's do it now and think about it later ♪ ♪ why wait another minute for something we should have done yesterday ♪ ♪ i know a little church with a preacher who could hook us up right away ♪ ♪ love don't need a reason baby i don't see ♪ ♪ how i could love you any more than i do today ♪ ♪ so why wait ♪ now i love your mama let's save her some trouble ♪ ♪ i bet your daddy won't mind if we save him a bundle ♪ ♪ it just so happens that ring that you wanted ♪ ♪ well, guess what

i bought it ♪ ♪ and it's in my pocket baby come on, yeah ♪ ♪ let's get her done let's get it on your left hand ♪ ♪ this is me, girl popping the question ♪ ♪ why wait another minute for something we should have done yesterday ♪ ♪ i know a little church with a preacher who can hook us up right away ♪ ♪ love don't need a reason baby i don't see how i could love you any more than i do today ♪ ♪ so why wait ♪ jd, new york city's getting crazy!

'cause crazy's what you make me ♪ ♪ why wait another minute wait another minute ♪ ♪ come on i know a little church ♪ ♪ with a preacher who can hook us up right away ♪ ♪ love don't need a reason baby i don't see ♪ ♪ how i can love you any more than i do today ♪ ♪ so why wait oh baby why wait ♪ ♪ y'all feel like waiting on the "today" show ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> rascal flatts. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

our pal erica hill is here with us with a preview of what's coming up on "today." >> good to be with you. we are cooking something up. excellent word choice, willie geist. we have been doing something that we call "weekend's biggest fans" through the month of may. this is my new friend nick from staten island. he wrote in to cook with me. he likes wine just like i do. he has gene at his wine store, i have greg at mine. so i went to his house. met his wife. we cooked together. we went to his favorite wine store. we did a wine tasting. he gave me salsa lessons. so this weekend, he's coming in. and he'll be here with us on the show. and you'll get to see a little bit more about our adventure day. >> that looks so fun. >> it was a great time. >> look, i know how to pick them. i'm just saying. >> did he do most of the work or

did you? >> he did. he gave me some stuff to do, but he was so excited to cook. he planned this beautiful meal. it was a lot of fun. >> all right, erica, we'll be looking forward to that. we'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." coming up next here, kathie lee and hoda. they've got a reunion story and who knows what else. have a great weekend, guys.

gridlock. teacher layoffs. and a 60 billion dollar budget deficit. that's what john perez faced when he became speaker of the california assembly. so he partnered with governor brown to pass three balanced budgets, on time. for the first time in thirty years. today, the deficits are gone and we've invested an additional 2 billion dollars in education. now john perez is running for controller, to keep fighting for balanced budgets. democrat john perez for controller. well, good morning, everyone. 9:56. i'm scott mcgrew. school leaders will talk with parents today to talk about why their students will have to retake the ap exam. thool junior morgan fisk along with 400 students who will have to retake their ap biology text

test next week. the california college board found seating irregularities in two rooms during the testing session last month. desks apparently not far enough apart. parents, meanwhile, rallied at bishop odowd high school in oakland. they were upset several teachers felt they were forced to quit their jobs. under the new contract, some teachers worried they can be fired for being gay or having premarital sex or even using birth control. let's check the weather this morning with christina. >> hey, thanks! what a pretty day. and you know what, conditions this weekend are going to hold up. 76 degrees for the south bay. 63 in san francisco. and right around 78 degrees today in the north bay. here's the deal for the weekend. it's going to be a little bit warmer on sunday than what we're expecting on saturday, so that will be your beach day. overall, your weather headlines tell the story.

sharp drop in temps today, about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. two sides to have the weekend, sunday is your day to hit the beach, and by next week, that heat cranks. i'll tell you all about it today at 11:00. >> looking over here to the bay bridge toll plaza, where we still have a good backup for these cash lanes, fastrak not moving so slowly. that's good, because it's called fastrak. an earlier issue past the toll plaza. we have a slower drive coming up towards the incline, but then you're okay getting into the city. at the coliseum, two events tonight, so post-work traffic starting at about 5:30 will be a tough drive past that area, 66 and 98th. slower for 287 where they merge. the rest of the south bay looking good. >> thank you, mike. more news in half an hour.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. it is try day friday, may 30th. we're delighted that you're here with us. and we're ing to have a fun show today. >> we are. we're not going to tell you why. we have two new additions to our staff. we have adopted these two beautiful -- >> beta fish or siamese fighting fish. that's why we have them separated. we don't want them to hurt one another. >> is this one yours? yours isn't even moving. yours is practically dead. look at mine. mine is very mobile. >> we should name them. >> we should name them. well, we have choices. they should be named maybe laverne and shirley?

wilma and betty? pebbles and bam-bam. >> which one is yours. >> you do pebbles. >> mine looks crazier. mine looks like bam-bam. >> oh, beta and gigabyte. >> you don't even know about computers. what are we naming them? is that the name? >> i like bite. bite me. >> yours is gigabyte. yours is gigabyte. >> giga and byte. >> giga and byte. >> we're not going to leave them in the studio. our producers are going to take them home and feed them. >> did you know this, this is an interesting -- >> shocking. >> one in six happy marriages began, and hoda can tell you this for sure, as a one-night stand. >> you know what, it seems unlikely, but sometimes one- night stands flourish. look at the odds of marriage, who knows? anyway, voucher cloud, a coupon site, found that one in six

marriages that started that way stood the test of time and they looked at 2,000 women and asked if they were happily married. a quarter of them said they were in an unhappy marriage. >> how long have they been married? that's the question you got to ask. if it is within two years, they're happy. that's what other research says. that after two years, the sexual aspect of -- >> goes a little south. >> i shouldn't say goes south, because that's what happens. but it goes into the sunset. yeah. you better have more than lust, hoda, i told you that a long time. >> i do. i have someone who i know who had a one-night stand who is in a very happy marriage with, you know, a handful of children. i won't say how many because i feel like she'll know i'm talking about her. >> your girlfriend -- >> no, don't. but they do say the most common issue for unhappy marriages are money problems. >> money problems, yeah. >> this is an interesting, interesting question for you guys to answer. okay. so here's a question. what's better, money or a honey?

dear prudence, a column, asked, this woman wrote in and said, look, she doesn't like her job, she's very unhappy, but she's with a guy she really likes a lot. couple of months. then suddenly out of nowhere she gets a dream job. >> far away. >> so the question is should she leave this potential blossoming relationship to go to this small town and get her dream job or should she stay in this crummy job she hates to be near the guy who might be the one? >> or might not. >> or might not. remember, the guy is -- she's in her 30s. it is not like she's just out of college saying should i be with this guy or run off to another job. she's in her 30s and has been in relationships that did not work. what would you tell her if you were her friend? >> i would tell her similar to -- everybody wants something different. some people want success. and even if it is at the expense of a relationship. i've always felt like if you didn't have a relationship, some kind of relationship to go home to that meant more than your

material success, you were ultimately not going to be happy at all. i would always say follow your heart and love will keep you happier than a fat bank account. >> but if you're in a job you can't stand and the relationship -- so now you're, like, i stayed here for this. this is what's in your head. >> if you're offered a dream job once, you'll get offered it again. if you're good. >> you say stay and check out the relationship. >> i say stay and look for a better job locally and see if the relationship and give it a particular window of time. don't say five years, i'm going to give this five years, not at that age. >> i say chase -- go for the job. >> you're not sure about the guy. you just started dating him. >> you just started the relationship. don't be so dumb. >> i'm not saying -- you missed what i said. maybe i didn't say it so clearly. only she knows which matters most to her.

>> but she doesn't know. she's confused. she says what do i do? she doesn't know. she's asking you, because -- i think -- >> my dad said find something you love to do and find out a way to get paid for it. >> what she loves to do is the small town. >> and maybe the guy will follow her. once you do have a husband and children and every year when i -- in my career, i take the temperature of my family every year. i never find anything more than a one-year contract until recently. >> good for you. >> hoda made me do it. but, anyway, i thought if my family is not happy, i'm not going to be happy no matter how great a dream job. >> that i agree but this girl is dating a guy for a couple of months, there's no family. >> she does have family and friends there. that's what it said in the original letter. you know what, should we say what she recommends? what do you think? >> emily says make a pro/con list. >> add it up and see what your heart says. >> well, duh. or flip a coin. and then whatever -- then think

about what your gut says after the results of the coin flip. >> do you feel relief or fear? >> you're going to feel fear on either one. >> change is scary. change can be great. >> you should go for the job in that case. >> unless it was a six-month relationship that had potential. otherwise, you know what -- >> then you find out if the relationship can last if you take the job and you find out what it is really made of. >> good point. >> we probably confused her. >> further. >> is this how you do your friday funny? >> no. these are straws with mustaches on them. it is try day friday slurpee mustache straws. >> too bad somebody didn't give me water, except for the fishbowl. >> i like your mustache better. look at kath's. >> a million ways to die in the west. 99 cents each sold at participating 7-eleven stores. >> you know what it's time for? >> friday funny! i like this one. from facebook fan karen lynn. one day an older woman moved

into her retirement home. first night she went to dinner and sat down, the little group tables that they have there. she said hello to everybody around the table. but when she met the man sitting across from her, she was just shocked. she couldn't stop staring at him. the man finally started feeling uncomfortable. so he asked, lady, why are you looking at me that way? well, the woman answered, you look exactly like my fourth husband. oh, really, said the man. how many husbands have you had? the woman replied, three. >> it was better than that. >> i like that one a lot. >> i thought it was darn good. you know what, i'm going to stop putting effort into them. i'm surrounded by people who do not appreciate me. >> i like when you're dramatic. >> no, you do not. next week, dull as dirt, i promise. time for our fan friday. every friday we have been showing you things you guys share with us on facebook, on twitter. okay. on monday we asked about the

question, when you ask a guy, does this make me look fat and how it scares men, well, livvy lucas shared with us how her husband gets around it in the past. he always replies -- >> it's not your color. >> i like that. >> on tuesday we talked about the women only parking spots in seoul, korea. >> they're larger and closer to the door. >> what are you saying? >> i say it is the best idea on the universe. you know what our facebook page said -- >> they agreed. >> 78%. >> oftentimes you do the shopping, stuff, kids. >> busy. we did ask you why you chose specific names for your pets. cassie sent in a picture of her dogs murphy and marley and said she calls them m&m for short, because they melted our hearts from day one. >> that's sweet. >> and finally, mark had the four-pound dog named cujo. she said her husband recommended the name as a joke because in the thriller, the vicious dog wreaks havoc on the town.

since she didn't know the story, she thought the name was adorable, it's cute. if you have something you want to share with us, go to our facebook page and we may just air it. >> maybe not. hoda did say she named blake after blake shelton. everybody knows that. and now you going to sleep with blake, which has been your desire all your life. and mine is bambino means baby boy in italian. >> i like that. >> lola is frank's mother's name. but she was already named lola when we got her. >> okay. >> and louie cassidy named. i can't think of the other dogs. >> you always leave them out. time for our johnson's baby of the week. we celebrate new moms and their adorable new additions to their families. our first johnson's baby of the week is arya page hammond born in morehead city, north carolina. mom faith says her daughter loves making silly faces. >> next born in chattanooga, tennessee, named camden taylor parker. parents marina and brian offer this advice to new parents, the

bags under your eyes from all the late nights are well worth all of the cuddles. so true. >> next baby of the week is adelyn jeanne smith, born with a full head of hair, from manahauken, new jersey. on april 3rd. her mom, lisa, tells other new parents it's okay not to have it all together or to have all the answers. >> doing good, mom. our final johnson's baby of the week is mylah haley bazile, born in allen, texas, on april 29th. she joins a big family. she already has six other siblings between the age of 8 and 22. >> lots of baby-sitters. >> congratulations to everybody. if you want to submit your baby, go to klgandhoda.com. >> we got a big, big show. if your kids have been begging you to get a pet, we got what you need to consider from costs to care. >> and it was puppy love at first sight but it's been one year since they have seen each other. >> a special reunion for a service dog and his trainer coming up after this. oh, look at those puppies.

mornings should be easy. new eggo bites are ready right out of the bag. packed with flavor, they're a tasty part of a complete breakfast... they're the easiest eggo ever. leggo my eggo! if there's a way to take corn on the cob, and make it even better with a packet of hidden valley original ranch? well...i'm all ears. ranch corn hidden valley it.

cold wind, and pollution can make all skin sensitive. that's why simple cleansing wipes are made to be kind. tough on makeup, gentle on skin. simple. the sensitive skin experts. definitely not routine. gentle on skin. and that can take a lot of energy. introducing nature valley breakfast biscuits. four biscuits, 26 grams of whole grains that give you the energy to help keep you going. i love nature valley breakfast biscuits. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap.

for 25 years, canine partners for life has been dedicated to training service dogs and home companion dogs to assist individuals suffering from a whole wide range of disabilities. >> the families who foster and train these dogs often develop a deep connection that continues long after the dog has been placed with a lifetime companion. lindsey myers is one of those trainers and here is her story. >> when i first saw dale, it was love at first sight. here was this gorgeous little

puppy with silky black fur and an adorable face. when i found out that his original trainer was unable to continue caring for him, it took me all of two seconds to offer to take him. i spent most of my life either working or volunteering at local animal shelters and i wanted to get even more involved. my kids were definitely excited about having a service dog in training at the house. and it wasn't long before he became a member of the family. dale even came to work with me every day. we were so proud of dale, he's such a sweet, beautiful boy. but after two years of loving, raising and training dale, it was time for him to meet his new life partner, april. april has multiple sclerosis, and is also challenged by a cardiac condition and connective tissue condition. dale's most helpful skills around the house, picking things up from the floor, helping april carry things, opening and closing doors and turning lights off and on. he's even able to alert april to various medical issues such as fainting, tremors and weakness. he makes her work as a musician

and violin teacher possible. he even sits by april's side as she performs in a symphony orchestra. while we know dale is where he should be, we can't help but miss him. we think of him very often. we made a lot of new friends during the time we were raising dale and almost two years later people still ask about him. we haven't seen dale in a year, but he definitely still has a big place in our hearts. >> love this story. >> oh, my gosh. >> april is here with her husband john and their service dog dale. hi, guys, how are you? >> wow. what a difference this dog has made in your life, huh? >> yes. >> tell us about him. >> before dale came along there were a lot of things i was afraid to do, even just being home alone was scary. and that's all different now because i'm never by myself anymore. he's always looking out for me. and -- >> gave you confidence, in addition to being there for you for all the medical reasons. it's so great how he can sense when somet is going wrong with you.

how does he react? >> usually his biggest alert is that he just stops. and once he stops, there is not a whole lot i can do to move him. he basically says you're going to sit down and wait until you're okay. >> and we're not supposed to pet him. tell us why that is. it's so natural to want to pet a sweet dog like that. >> petting and even just talking can distract them. and when they're distracted, they can't do their job. with his alerts, he could not be paying attention to my blood pressure and miss an alert. >> would you mind just unharnessing your cute dog. because -- >> john, in the meantime, this must make you feel much better knowing that dale is with her and she can be more secure knowing shooes getting the care she needs. >> makes you feel better about her being home alone. >> we're going to do a little reunion here. lindsey is here with her kids d.j. and hannah. come on out. you took great care of dale and now it is your turn to say hi. let's see if he -- let's see how

this -- >> go say hi. >> hi. >> oh, my gosh. >> oh, my gosh. >> i wonder if he remembers. >> wow. >> he is so happy. >> wow. >> oh, my gosh. >> that is unbelievable. have a seat, you guys. >> he's all tangled up. >> that's all right. hold on. >> he's so happy. >> hi, buddy. >> you did an awfully good job with this dog. >> you sure did. they don't forget, do they? >> he was easy, for sure. >> how does it feel seeing him again? >> it is crazy. it is crazy. it is. >> look at him. >> it must be tough to foster a dog and to know that the purpose is for you guys to send him back out into the world, even though you know it is to a great, great, great cause. >> we miss him. we miss him. but seeing the work he's doing

and we follow -- he has his own facebook page and following him on facebook has really been rewarding. >> oh, my gosh. >> and are you -- do you have another dog now at your home you're doing the same thing for? >> we have a retired service dog who lives with us and we foster. we're not doing one from puppy to this stage, but we -- >> i'm not allowed to pet you, honey. >> you guys are doing great work. if you want to do exactly what this family is doing, go to our website and figure out how. you guys, thank you so much. how beautiful. thank you for coming. >> thank you, dale, for all you do. >> oh! >> coming up, bobbie is here with the latest must haves. >> all after this. at sargento, our cheese is going thin in a big way. with our ultra thin slices, you can now enjoy the same natural sargento cheese you love, at just 45 calories a slice. the same cheddar,

swiss and provolone. just thinner and just 45 calories a slice. it's safe to say, thin has never been more in. sargent ultra thin slices. now available in baby swiss, chedder-jack and longhorn colby. yof garnier olia haircolor is sold every 6 seconds. what i really like about the color is that it's really, really vivid. i really love it. i definitely would recommend it to everyone. powered by oil, olia propels color deep inside the hair, without ammonia. really nice and smooth and soft. the color is fabulous...really natural. can't see my gray hairs anymore. wouldn't go back. haircolor will never be the same. olia. created by garnier. see for yourself at garnierusa.com. because we believe in building something... something to better someone. to better you. to better america. ♪ oral-b. made in the usa.

♪ i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy. mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served. the was a truly amazing day. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today at angieslist.com ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tempted ♪ ♪ by the chocolate all around ♪ turn around brian! ♪ this bar has protein oh yeah!♪ test. test. test. test.

test. test. test. test. test. oh john don't wallow john iin ice cream.s over. i'm not wallowing in ice cream. it's the new dannon oikos greek frozen yogurt. half the fat of regular ice cream. it's so irresistibly thick and creamy! didn't expect you to be enjoying yourself so soon! couldn't resist, mmm! it's such a good source of protein too! no, i'm talking about this john, already?! that was mine. hi mom. hi sweety. try the new dannon oikos greek frozen yogurt. ♪ dannon.

we're back with more of "today." and -- that is bobby's pup, chica. she was animated by the "my talking pet" app. that's one of the picks bobbie thomas has for us here today. >> it's an app? >> my talking pet, 99 cents, upload a picture of your pet and we have two samples this week. one of blake and one of bambino. >> yeah, okay. >> that is creepy. >> you can even adjust the pets. >> very fun. >> we have to tune in for yappy hour. it's wine for dogs and even for the non-alcoholics in the bunch

they have a link that you can get these great squeaky toys. chica is going to town. so they come in bark deau. and this these biscuits is from sniffing butt bakery. it's made from beer, dogs love it. it's a way to get her happy. >> non-alcoholic. >> non-alcoholic. and india, my bff, is here to help me show off. these are literally puppy purses. >> are they comfortable and safe in there? >> they're safe. it's a harness, and in new york city if you're walking on the street, you can pick them up quickly. it's also a leash, you can walk them and put them over your shoulder. >> there's nothing nonhumane about it. >> no. >> that's how you hold them anyway. >> thank you, so, so much.

>> fun home accessories for your new addition after your local news. honey bunches of oats! it's got grains, which i like. i like the little bunches of oats. what i like is actually the flakes. it's got crunch, which i love. mmm. it's really good. honey bunches of oats. yay! behaves like the surface of your skin. now watch what soap does to it. ♪ soap strips your skin. dove is different.

with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove doesn't strip your skin like soap. with new jolly rancher filled gummy bites? not today. bites. little greatness. it's the yoplait greek taste-off and we are asking the music city which 100-calorie strawberry greek yogurt tastes best. this one is definitely the winner. yoplait greek 100! you want to see which one yoplait greek beat? chobani yes! yoplait greek wins again. take the taste-off for yourself! . well, good morning, everyone. 10:26. i'm scott mcgrew. surveillance video is revealing more information about an attack at oakland high school. school leaders say last week, a school security officer found a freshman in a wheelchair, in the hall, late for class. he started wheeling that student to class.

the student reportedly resisted. office the officer was arrested, charged with child abuse. the principal sent out a letter to parents and staff explaining the incident and apologizing. we'll have a look at weather and traffic coming up after break.

hey, welcome back. happy friday. what a gorgeous day in store for

you today. 76 in the south bay. 79 degrees, out in the tri-valley. oakland will hit about 65 degrees today. 78 for the north bay. and just 63 in san francisco. but, hey, temperatures about 10 degrees cooler this afternoon. and give your ac a break for most of theweekend. we're only going to climb into the 80s at best. but a sharp drop in temperatures today. sunday is your beach day. and then that heat cranks next week. we'll tell you all about this today at 11:00. but right now, let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> right now, christina, we have a backup at the bay bridge toll plaza. and friday, this is when we see that build. the earlier crash has led to the delays here for all of your lanes. that will bleed into the mid-day crowd as we head into the city. a lighter volume overall as you approach. the rest of your bay looking really good right now. we'll focus on the golden gate bridge as well. where there are some low clouds. this commute getting into the city towards the camera, that will build as well. that's the typical friday commute towards midday and definitely the evening hours, scott. a lot of folks heading into and out of san francisco. >> all right, mike, thanks.

more local news with the big newscast coming up at 11:00. see you then. we're back with more of "today." if you're a pet owner, considering which owner to adopt, we have the essentials you really need to know. >> from cost to care, to knowing whether the pet is a good fit for your family, dr. brett lavitsky is a veterinarian, here to help you figure it all out. >> okay, dr. brett. >> a lot of people love to get dogs. they're a great warm addition to the family. what should people know before they step out and do it? >> they need the time to take care of them. dogs are a bit more needy with their time considerations. and they're very social and very active. they need exercise, regardless of their age. so even older ones need to get out and take the nice long walk. >> okay. and in terms of cost, people don't realize how much a dog costs. >> i know.

>> pet sitters, you know? >> the annual cost depending on the size, we have a couple of options here, can range from anywhere from $500 to $1,000 plus, just for supplies, food, and that's not even talking about -- >> veterinarian -- >> they come to see dr. brett, it is going to cost them. >> a little bit more. >> what do you have for us here? >> we have some of the essentials you would need. and especially here in the city, i can't stress enough getting a good leash, collar, harness if your dog pulls, every dog owner before they bring the dog home needs some food bowls, water bowls, and then just some things to make their life fun at home. everybody likes to have fun. >> squeaky toys. >> yes, squeaky toys are a big hit. >> all righty, thank you, guys. >> all right. >> okay. >> now, we're in the hamster zone here, right? >> yes, this is our -- this is daylight and that's one thing pet owners need to know is that

hamsters are nocturnal animals. they want to interact with you an play at night. >> is it a good starter pet for your child? for your family? >> not unless you want your kid up all night. >> i think that's -- >> think it through, hoda. >> go to bed, all right? >> they won't get on your schedule no matter what? >> no. >> even if you're on daytime with a blackout? >> no, not at all. >> everyone has hamsters. you don't stay up with them. you go to bed. >> what if he wants to play with you? >> in the evening time. that's your transition period before you go to bed. >> where is he? doesn't matter. >> this one we can find. >> this is roxy. she's a beautiful guinea pig. guinea pigs are fantastic for families, especially if they have children. they're very social. you wouldn't think that a guinea pig is social, but look at her, she's very interactive. what people need to know about guinea pigs, it is not a set it

and forget it pet. they need a lot of interaction. >> they do? >> they do. >> they definitely do. if you have them out in your apartment, they're going to find things to chew. so be careful. >> how long do they live? >> anywhere from five to seven years. >> come over here, honey. come on. hoda wants to do that. >> i just want to see the cute face. >> she's adorable. >> what is this? >> a turtle. >> this is lolita and billy bob. and turtles are going to be a little more of a commitment, let's say, because they can live anywhere from 25 to 100 years. >> yeah. >> longer than us. >> who takes them when you outlive your turtle? >> have a goodwill a will and testament. >> what do they eat? >> insects, worms, you need to supply them with fruits and vegetables. and the thing about turtles and lizards also is they can carry salmonella, so maybe not best pet for small kids. >> good to know. >> the fact you have two, do they need mates? do they need friendship or --

>> they actually can be very social with each other. they may not jump up when you get home from work, but they -- >> i mean, you have two. >> they do like the company. >> they like company. >> lizards are -- how long do they live? >> where is the lizard? >> where is our friend in here? this little gecko, he's hiding. he's out somewhere. >> he's off doing a geico commercial. >> he can live about 25 years, believe it or not. >> how long? >> 25 years. >> got to get to our cats. >> these kitties. >> look at that little kitty. >> this is buddha and oliver. and what we should point out is these guys were both -- both strays at one point. buddha is up for adoption. if you want to -- >> oh, my gosh. >> precious. i'm allergic to cats unfortunately but i think they're beautiful. >> a lot less care than dogs. >> a lot more independent, so they don't require as much attention. but they love to interact and play. so you can't leave them for days at a time. they do like to spend time with you. >> okay. you need to have a litter box, obviously. >> absolutely.

>> here we have some things to enrich their lives. play with them. you can go ahead and oliver might raise -- >> these are a little kinky. >> oliver is not at all -- >> oliver is a very relaxed cat. that's why he's perfect. >> perfect. >> thank you very much. >> get ready for the fur to fly. >> about to put our knowledge of pets pop culture to the test after this.

hello! i'm a kid. and us kids have an important message for our grown ups. three grams daily of beta-glucan... a soluable fiber from whole grain oat foods like cheerios can help lower cholesterol. and where can you find beta-glucan? in oats. and, they're yummy! i'm going back to being a kid now. thank you!

[ woman ] the technology in these pads... best creation ever! [ female announcer ] always infinity. the only pad made with flexfoam, not fluff. so thin, yet it absorbs 10 times its weight. infinity. clean. dry. fresh. always. they always figure it out. so they deserve a smart choice in litter. we make fresh step scoopable with carbon that's trapping and eliminating odors. fresh step, your cat deserves the best.

with i shop when i want, app, and eliminating odors. where i want. i know the shoes my kids will love, and i can get them with my rewards points... anytime. famous footwear. victory is yours. mornings should be easy. new eggo bites are ready right out of the bag. packed with flavor, they're a tasty part of a complete breakfast... they're the easiest eggo ever. leggo my eggo! i wanted to do some good for them, so i'm trying best foods with olive oil. i'm kinda nervous. you don't mess with a fireman's best foods. hey mike, seriously, so good. well you know, that's not best foods on your sandwiches. it's best foods with olive oil. whaddaya want, a parade? [ laughter ] give me another sandwich. [ male announcer ] best foods mayonnaise dressing with olive oil. the delicious taste of best foods, with the goodness of olive oil.

back now and ready to find out how much we know about some famous furry friends in pop culture. >> here to put us to the test is tim stack. >> tim. >> you're a game show host. >> i'm a game show host too. i have many side jobs. >> okay. >> ready. garg mel, true or false,

gargamel is the cat's name in the smurfs. >> that is definitely false. >> correct. hoda knows her smurfs. the name is azriel. gargamel is the creepy guy who wears robes and is a monk maybe, or -- next question. which of these films about an animal won an oscar? a, marley and me, b, babe -- kat kathie? >> babe. >> yes, correct. >> james cromwell played the former in that. >> okay. >> i'm giving information! >> fine, whatever! what was the name of arnold's fish on different strokes, a, willy, b -- >> it was c, abraham. >> yes. hoda, who knew?

>> i'm a different strokes person. i know that. >> different strokes, moved in with the drummonds, gary coleman. >> gosh, no one cares. number four, in the sitcom b.j. and the bear, what kind of animal was bear? a, a bear, b, a chimpanzee, c, a bird. kathie? >> bear. >> are you allowed to answer? >> yes. the correct answer is bird. >> i would like to go with the real correct answer, which is a chimpanzee. >> that is correct. >> you don't get a point for that. >> b.j. and the pear wbear was sitcom about a trucker who -- turner and hooch was a movie with tom hanks in 1989. what kind of dog was hooch? a french mat istiff, a bulldog, a bernese mountain dog. >> bernese mountain dog.

>> bulldog. >> french mastiff. >> he was a french mastiff, yes. >> i know my stuff. >> tom hank es helped him. >> what was the dog's name on "frazier". >> good luck with that. >> eddie. >> you are correct, yes. >> that was a good show. >> what do you mean? b.j. and the bear was good. >> b.j. and the bear. >> he was the dog -- >> all right. >> what was the name of the pet alligator -- i don't even know what the score is because i'm being yelled at so much. what was the name of the pet alligator on "miami vice". >> a, max, b, elvis, c, elio. >> b, elvis. >> right. >> before we go on, what is the score? >> 3-3.

>> you're tied. >> good game. >> she's coughing. >> go, go. can't breathe. my turn. go. >> please, please. >> thank god. now we're ready. >> like drew carey on the price is right. what is katy perry's cat's name -- >> kitty cat? >> no. >> the answer is kitty purry. >> that is correct. >> kitty purry had a cameo in "i kissed a girl" video. 4-3. >> and go. >> what is garfield's favorite meal. fish sticks -- >> lasagna. >> yes, it is. lasagna. he loves lasagna. >> everybody is cheering for you over there. >> everybody likes me more than you. >> tied. >> last one. >> okay. what is the name of the 1992

charles grodin bonnie hunt comedy about a -- >> beethoven. my favorite movie ever, beethoven. >> really? >> fantastic. i am superior to you in every way. >> jerry is bringing in your prize. >> oh, good. >> thank you. >> coming up -- >> i don't want it. >> wait, what? >> i was going to give one to blake. >> can't eat that big of a thing. he can't. >> all kinds of decor to make the newest member of your family to feel at home. ♪ summer days drifting away to, uh oh, those summer nights ♪

♪ well-a, well-a, well-a, uh! tell me more, tell me more... ♪ twizzlerize your summer fun with twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. ♪ [ man ] yo buzz! drop that beat! remix! ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ ♪ clusters, flakes ♪ that medley crunch, crunch! go! ♪ ♪ you've got that medley crunch ♪ ♪ go get that medley crunch!

firsrefused all debates.rnly now honda's slinging mud, launching false attacks. isn't it time to put the old politics aside? the chronicle endorses ro khanna, saying he "offers an upgrade in congress for silicon valley." and the mercury news says,

"ro khanna is ready for the congress of tomorrow... ...while honda is a politician of the past." for our future: ro khanna. khanna: i'm ro khanna and i approve this message. . if you own a dog or cat, you know the water bowls, crates and litter boxes can start to take over your living space and leave you looking very cluttered. >> here with stylish decor and accessories fun and functional is steffi cisco, associate home editor for "real simple"

magazine. >> so fun. >> absolutely. >> we'll start down here. tracy is a production manager, here with her dog quincy. it is the mat we're talking about here. >> the mat is amazing. suber absorbant and makes cleanup a breeze. any kibble spills you can toss it in the trash. >> how cute is quincy? >> we picked modern pet bowls to go with that more modern decor. here we picked something more traditional. go with either a -- this is drinking fountain. cats and dogs prefer moveable water. that's what they're inclined toward. so this keeps the water flowing throughout the day. >> oh, my gosh. >> okay. >> and then -- >> we have catherine with gamut. >> we like anything dual purpose. this keeps the pet bowls elevated and helps aid in digestion for your pet and also stores extra pet bowls or pet

bowls, pet food and stuff underneath. >> beautiful ones like that, that sit up be my dogs will not touch them. >> no kidding? >> lola is huge. no. it is so funny. >> we got a wash room here for cats. >> some products like litter boxes aren't the prettiest items in your home. this hides the litter box within the unit. so you can incorporate it into your decor and there is an easy open door on the front. >> you were looking ain t ining weren't you? >> it helps prevent odor from escaping. >> i like that. >> have to have a bigger house for something like that. >> absolutely. >> this is great for the crate. when i crate blake sometimes and i put a sheet over it, but this looks so much better. >> different sizes, different patterns. you can roll up two sides of this one so if your pet is inside, blake can enjoy the view or give him more of a cabana

feel and close it up. >> okay. >> sweet. >> and if you want a piece of furniture, yes, to set aside your sofa, it also functions as a storage piece for extra -- >> cozy up on the couch. >> yes. >> adorable. >> these are good storage bins. you put everything. >> accessories all over the place. easy to toss that and your dog or cat knows where to go -- >> nicole is here with frankie, by the way. >> what cat and dog doesn't want their own shag rug? frankie is on this rug that is really comfortable for your pet. your cats especially like to knead on the cozy fibers and it is machine washable. for dogs, can stuff it with a pillow or cushion to make it more cozy. >> and heidi is here. she works with us on the "today" hoe. >> she has her cat pablo in the tepee. >> went in here as his own little hideaway and creates a

talking point. >> is that what happened in there? >> just cozy, huh? >> okay. >> oh, my gosh. >> so cute. >> these are all great. >> thank you very, very much. >> time for the big, big moment of the spotlight. >> you sent us video and we're going to play them for you. first, this is "today" on nbc.

gridlock. teacher layoffs. and a 60 billion dollar budget deficit. that's what john perez faced when he became speaker of the california assembly. so he partnered with governor brown to pass three balanced budgets, on time. for the first time in thirty years. today, the deficits are gone and we've invested an additional 2 billion dollars in education. now john perez is running for controller, to keep fighting for balanced budgets. democrat john perez for controller.

couldn't do a show about pets without showing off some of your furry friends. >> we asked you to post videos to our facebook page. >> here is a look at some of the ones we loved. >> hey! hungry? ♪

♪ ♪ >> give me a kiss. give me a kiss. >> oh, my gosh! >> oh, my gosh. >> what was your favorite thing that blake does? >> i love when he wakes up in the morning and he rolls over like give me a rub before we go out for a walk. he looks at me like this, this first and then we go outside. what about bam? >> i have three dogs, but --

>> one that matters. >> you know what, just that he goes -- if i've been out of the room for five seconds or five days, goes ape the minute i come back. follows me everywhere. he's seen me do things that no human being has ever seen. and he loves me anyway. >> all right. coming up next week, susan sarandon. ricky gervais. laura dern. dean cain. the matriarch of the kardashian family, kris jenner. and allison sweeney. and a performance by pharrell. >> have a great weekend, everybody. >> see you on monday. >> big stars coming up.

right now at 11:00, caught on camera, a bay area high school security guard attacks a student in a wheelchair. we hear from the student this morning. plus, a big shake up in the obama administration. the v.a. secretary resigns in the wake of a growing scandal. and also a live look outside at san jose this friday morning. meteorologist christina loren says we are looking at two different sides to the weekend. we're going to let you know what your specific forecast will be, coming right up. well, good morning, everyone. happy friday. thanks for joining us. i'm scott mcgrew. >> and i'm peggy bunker. we do want tote will you know, new at